A New Development
by HelplessSoul
Summary: A new vampire with an unusual ability has joined the Cullen family. She is like nothing they have ever met. How will they accept her, what are the consequences, and how will Edward deal with unrequited love? R&R please. This gets better: I promise.
1. Meeting Everyone

**A/N: I know I said that this story wouldn't be back up until October 1, but I got bored and impatient. Please R&R. And I'm looking for a Beta. Let me know if you're interested. I only ask for 1 review before posting the next chapter.**

**Prologue**

The first thing I remember when waking up was the incessant stinging, burning sensation running through my veins. I started tossing and turning, trying to get the pain to subside, even reaching down to massage every single part of my body. I was actually trying to give myself a full body massage, focusing on my whole body at once, with only two hands. It was ridiculous. The second thing I noticed was an intense throb in the back of my throat; you know the kind you get after spending 3 days in the Sahara with no water? No… I suppose you don't. In all honesty, neither do I. I just imagined that it would feel something like that. And finally, when I opened my eyes and after they cleared, I saw 5 - no – 7 of the most beautiful-

"Edw-," I heard.

8 of the most beautiful people I had ever seen in my life.

Maybe I should start from the beginning.

**Chapter 1**

When making a list of the most interesting experiences of my life, growing up in Forks, Washington was never near the top. My family was simple and I never really considered myself beautiful. Just average. Nothing could ever compare to the natural beauty surrounding me, though I didn't realize how beautiful it was at the time. Now all I want to do is go back. I keep telling myself I'll take my sketchbook, camera, and notebook and just try to creatively document how beautiful it really is there, but it hasn't happened yet. I keep managing to trip over those things as part of my job, having finally accomplished my life-long dream (living in Ireland with a huge studio that has a woodshop on the bottom floor, along with a glass-blowing studio, then there's a second floor with a pottery and photography studio, and a third floor where I do all of my writing. The third floor also has a room where I can curl up on a couch and read from dawn till dusk). It kinda sucks being an artist, ya know. And I'm not even starving.

Pause the life story.

I forgot to introduce myself. Hi! I'm Jennifer, but all my friends call me Getty (yes, as in the first part of Gettysburg and yes, I mean the famous battlefield). I assume it has something to do with my fixation on the changing of the tide of the Civil War (and don't make me point out the irony of that phrase). The only people that call me Jennifer, or anything closely resembling my Christened name, are my parents, Fred and Wilma. OK, OK. I'm kidding. Their names are actually Lindsay and Ryan. They're nice and all, but my mom doesn't really understand me. She keeps insisting that college is the only way that I'll ever get what I want when my dad got everything that he has on a high school diploma. Needless to say, I haven't seen my parents outside of work in about 8 months. And my mom DOESN'T work with my dad and me.

Resume life story.

Until my mom dragged me all the way out to fucking BELLEVUE to get my senior portraits taken for high school, I didn't even see the potential for me to be beautiful. She dragged me there because it's the "best portrait studio in the state". My ass. I still don't see beauty though, but I do now see potential. Let me help you imagine: my hair is down to my shoulders and I have these really dramatic bangs that go from my right temple to the left corner of my jaw. I'm a little bit pudgy, but I don't mind. I often fondly refer to myself as "fat but I don't care". I'm 5'6" and look stereotypically Irish. You know… curly red hair, green/hazel eyes, big-boned, strong jaw. Oh… and I wear glasses.

I don't have that many friends, especially since after my break-up. I don't like to talk about it. Even though it sort of made me who I am today. I assume the reason I'm left mostly alone, which is the way I like it, is because I've become mildly reclusive and I wear the proverbial sandwich-board telling the world to "Fuck Off". I'm sorry. I don't usually swear this much.

Anyway… I'm about to go into my senior year of high school and have been working for my dad since I was a freshman. Ryan owns the best woodshop in all of the northwest (including Washington, Idaho, Oregon, even parts of California and Montana), by the way. I LOVE MY JOB!! We make everything from toys to dining room tables and chairs. My primary focus is actually lawn and patio furniture. The first major project I ever did was this awesome bench that resembles an Adirondack Chair. I was SOOOOOOO proud of that. Haha. But I think it may have been a woodshop accident that brought me here…

**Chapter 2**

"Where am I?" I asked. One of the men responded.

"Welcome, Jennifer," he said, but before I could correct him, he continued. "But you prefer to be called Getty, so that's the name we shall use".

I looked towards whoever was talking and saw the most dazzling pair of amber eyes I had ever seen. They were absolutely captivating. I then looked at the rest of his face and thought: _if not for the eyes, this guy could be my brother_. He had a friendly face, which betrayed concern and pensiveness. He also had chaotic red hair that looked like he had tried to do something with it, but had given up. As I started to look around, I heard a door open and a girl come running in, obviously trying desperately not to trip.

"Edw-"she began, and the man with the red hair looked up. She then came over to me and said "Oh, you're awake. I'm Bella, this is Edward," she said pointing to the person I had seen first. "And Jasper and Alice," she said, pointing to an average height blond man standing next to a pixie-like girl. "And Emmett and Rosalie". She pointed to a man that looked more like a bear and, in my opinion, the prettiest girl in the room. "And last, but not least, our parents, Carlisle and Esme," she gestured to the remaining couple. Bella was definitely beautiful. She had pale, clear, soft-looking skin, gorgeous chocolate brown eyes, and wavy brown hair cascading down to her waist. But my most pressing questions remained unanswered.

"That's great," I snapped. "But I still need to know where the fuck I am and," I looked directly at Edward, "how the hell you knew all that about me".

"You'll learn about that soon enough. For now… Alice-". The pixie looked up. "Our guest is thirsty. Please take her to find something to go hunting in."

Alice started toward me. "Wait," I said. "First tell me where I am, what you are, what I've become, why I'm in so much pain, and how I got here."

"Demanding, isn't she," said Emmett, raising his eyebrows suggestively. "I like that". Then he growled. I couldn't help it. I started laughing so hard I couldn't breathe. My hysterics, which eventually resulted in choking, made everyone laugh. Then Emmett said "Wait… What are we laughing at again?", which only made me laugh harder.

"Em!" squealed Rosalie. "One more comment like that-". She never got to finish her threat.

"I'm sorry, Rosie," Emmett said, wrapping her in a huge hug and kissing her passionately.

"I forgive you," she said. "This time." Everyone in the room laughed even harder, knowing that Rose would always forgive Emmett.

**A/N: Seriously. Only one review before you get the next chapter.**


	2. Some Questions Answered

**A/N: Before I get the next chapter up, I want at least 2 reviews. I know you guys can do this. I have faith in you. You don't have to submit them through this site if you have my e-mail address, otherwise, review please.**

**Chapter 3**

Carlisle shooed everyone out of the room except for Edward and Esme. Then he, with their help, began to answer my questions. "What was your first question Getty? You'll have to forgive me, I sometimes forget these things."

"I wanted to know where I am," I replied.

"Oh, yes," Carlisle said. "Well, you are in my house. All those people that were in the room earlier were my family. Edward, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie are my children. Bella is Edward's fiancée and Esme is my wife. You are still in Forks, but I don't know how much longer we will be able to stay here."

"OK. The next thing that I want to know is what I've become. There is no way you guys are human, you're all just too beautiful".

"Well, I'm flattered by that statement," Esme replied. "We are vampires."

I recoiled at the thought and Esme continued. "We don't have to drink human blood. If you ask Carlisle later, I'm sure he would be more than willing to tell you about his change and how he learned that we could survive on animal blood. There are also several myths that I'm sure Edward would be glad to clarify you on."

I was now eager to know what Esme was talking about. "What myths?"

Edward looked at me and said "Firstly, we can go out during the day. Most of us just choose not to because of what happens when we go out in the sun." He then noticed my confused look. "I'll show you later," he said. Then he continued "Secondly, we do not sleep in coffins. If you go look in every bedroom in this house, you will see a bed, however, being as we do not sleep, I assume that you will be able to guess what those are used for." He chuckled, a crooked little smile appearing on his face as he clearly remembered his own escapades. I tried not to think about it. "Thirdly," he continued, "Garlic does not have any effect on us at all. Bella loves Italian food with as much garlic as she can get. She especially loves it when I cook for her, so, if garlic did anything to harm us, I probably wouldn't be as healthy as I am. However healthy vampires may be, seeing as we're technically dead."

I laughed at this. I knew I was going to like Edward. He was cute, funny, and sarcastic, but he still didn't hold a candle to my wonderful, wonderful boyfriend. I just thought of him as one of my brothers, but the look on his face made me a little nervous. It almost looked as if he was in love with me, but he couldn't be. Could he? I mean, he didn't even know anything about me except that I was a vampire and my nickname. So how could he already be in love? And what about Bella? "OK," I continued. "Why am I in so much pain? I've never sworn this much before in my life. Except maybe when I sanded off all the skin on my knuckle."

This time it was Edward's turn to laugh. "Ouch," he said. "You don't waste any time getting to the point. Very, very blunt and no-nonsense. I assume that particular incident was an accident?"

"Duh. Now can we please answer my question. Don't make me beg."

"Alright," Carlisle continued. "All of this pain you're feeling is because of the change. In order for a human to become a vampire, the human must be bitten by a vampire. Instead of blood, we create venom, which we use to help kill our prey and to turn people into vampires. The stinging is the venom coursing through your veins, but the pain should subside shortly. It just means that the change is, for all intensive purposes, complete. The change in and of itself is also an extremely painful process and your body is just getting used to the venom."

Right as Carlisle finished explaining that, the stinging stopped. "Thank you for explaining all of that, Carlisle and Esme. Oh, wait. I have one more question for you guys. Why was I changed in the first place?"

Carlisle began his story by telling me "I only change people if I am asked to and there is no other way to save their lives".

"Wait a minute… I was dying?"

"Yes, you were," he said. "And your father asked me to do everything within my power to keep you alive."

"Why was I dying? What happened?"

"I was in your father's office at the woodshop. I was telling him what I wanted Esme to have for her birthday. The meeting was actually very drawn out. I saw you in the woodshop, doing about 20 different things at once. It looked like you were making a dining room set or something because you kept going back and forth from the table saw to the lathe to the band saw and all these other power tools I didn't recognize. I believe one might have been that sander you mentioned earlier. I eventually started to see chairs just appear before my eyes. They were beautiful. You really do have talent there. I was talking with your father, when all of a sudden I heard a loud bang and I looked over and couldn't see you. Ryan and I immediately ran over to the band saw where you had been working and he noticed that it had had a kick-back. Then he saw your neck gushing blood. He was panicking and asking me 'You're a doctor. Can she be saved? Do everything within your power to save her. Please. I need her here. Without her I would never manage to meet all of my deadlines. Please!!'. He was crying hysterically by that point. I examined the wound and saw that the blade had nicked your carotid artery and that if I didn't turn you, you were going to die in less than 5 minutes."

"How could that have happened," I asked. "I'm always careful to stand off to the side of the saw where the blade can't hurt me if something like that happens."

"I believe you had a rapidly approaching deadline to meet, what with the way you were running about, becoming more and more frazzled by the minute. I think when this happened, you were standing in front of the saw."

I gasped. _God, I'm such an idiot. Now what is Ry- my dad going to do? Shit. _Edward gave me a look that said "Everything is going to be just fine."

Just then, Alice burst in. "OH MY GOD!! I can't wait to get to know you better!! I can tell we're gonna be best friends!"

"Is she always this hyper," I asked.

"You have no idea," Edward said.

"Alice," I began. "Before we hang out and you put me through whatever torture I know that you're planning, I have one more question for Edward. So if everyone else will please leave…" And they politely left, Alice saying that she would be back in in less than 10 minutes.

Edward looked at me. "You were saying…"

"Well... um… I don't really know how to put this," I started. "But right after I woke up, when you were talking to me, you knew things about me that I didn't tell you. And I know I didn't tell you them because we'd never talked before, even though we go to the same school."

"And your question is…" he pressed.

"How did you know all that about me?"

Edward sighed heavily. "I can't think of any better way to put this, so I'm just going to be blunt. Some vampires have powers. I'm one of that group. I can read minds."

"Oh…" I said. "Does anyone else in your family have powers?"

"Alice and Jasper do. Alice can foresee things in the future and Jasper can manipulate people's emotions."

"How do you get these powers?"

"You are born with them. They generally come from certain talents you had when you were human. I was always able to read people very well, Alice had an uncanny intuition. She almost knew that certain things were going to happen. And Jasper was always good at making people feel calmer."

"Oh… Will I have any powers," I asked. Then I heard something. It sounded like Emmett's voice, but I didn't hear anyone talking.

_I wonder what they're doing in there. I mean Edward had this weird look on his face when that girl woke up. It looked like the way that he used to look at Bella. I hope he isn't…_

"What was that," I asked. "Did you say something?"

"No. I didn't," Edward replied.

"I think Emmett might be outside the door listening to us."

Edward got up and opened the door. "Hello Emmett. It might be a good idea for you to leave now. Before I hurt you." Edward glared at him and Emmett left.

"How did you know he was there," Edward asked.

"I heard something that sounded like his voice, but what I heard didn't sound like something he would say to another person. Especially with Bella in the house."

"Weird… All I could hear was him singing 'I Will Always Love You' by Whitney Houston to himself," Edward replied. "I thought he and Rose had just finished… Well… You know."

I then looked at the clock and noticed 10 minutes had passed. As if on cue, Alice burst in.

"Alice," Edward practically shouted. "Give us just 5 more minutes please. We're almost done." And Alice promptly left. "That's a first," he mused. "But anyway… I think I know what your power is."

I looked at him curiously.

"You can also read minds, but you are much more powerful than I am. You can hear what people are trying to cover up."

"OK. Well… Alice is listening at the door and growing impatient. Thanks for answering my questions. You can let Alice in, by the way. And maybe we'll talk later."

As Edward left, Alice came bounding back in. "Finally," she said. "Now… let's see about getting you ready to go hunting."

**A/N: I am looking for a Beta and I own nothing in relation to Twilight except for a copy of each of the books. Please read and review. Contrary to some people's beliefs, I'm not that good of a writer. I promise to give you a sneak peek at the next chapter if you review. I apologize for being lax on this last time.**


	3. Preparation

**A/N: With all the hits this story has been getting, it shouldn't be too hard to get the number of reviews that I'm asking for. Just click on the little button at the bottom of the page, write a few words, click submit, and wait for a sneak peek at the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, or Breaking Dawn. They are all the wonderful work of Stephenie Meyer and the rights to these wonderful books are nothing like the rights to the Beatles songs. Fortunately because they are not owned by Michael Jackson, unfortunately because it means that I can't buy them.**

**And now without further ado, I give you...**

**Chapter 4**

Before I knew it, I was being dragged against my will into Alice's room. When we got there, I permitted my eyes to sweep the room, and the first thing I noticed, aside from the typical things in a bedroom, you know, the bed, bedside table, dresser, etc, was the vast quantity of clothing and make-up and hair accessories covering the bedspread, dresser, and half the floor. I groaned.

"Alice," I whined, "please do not submit me to this torture. My dad and I went hunting all the time before all of this happened. I have exactly what I need, but I promise that we can spend a whole day wandering around West Edmonton Mall, maybe even a whole week, after I'm strong enough to resist the appeal of human blood if you let me wear what I want when we go hunting".

Alice started to protest, but the prospect of spending an entire week in the biggest mall in the world was far too tempting for her to refuse. She still came up with a condition. "You have to let me buy you whatever I want to buy you while we're there. And no complaints."

"As long as I get some say. I don't want to leave Canada looking like a whore and a temptress. And we will railroad Bella into coming."

"Deal," Alice quickly agreed. "As long as I can drive".

"Sorry. Lead foot disorder runs in my family. You'll drive too slow."

"Ride with me to the hunting grounds. Then we'll see who the slow driver is."

"Looking forward to it," I replied. "I'll drive back. Whoever gets Bella to shit her pants first drives to Edmonton." Alice and I cracked up at this, then Emmett knocked at the door.

"What's so funny," he asked.

When Alice and I had stopped laughing enough so that we were able to talk, in between gasps for breath she replied "We're going to West Edmonton Mall as soon as Getty is able to resist the call of human blood. We couldn't agree on who was going to drive so we decided that we would drive to and from school, trading off every day. Bella's coming with us for this whole week and whichever one of us gets Bella to shit her pants first is going to drive to Edmonton."

"Nice," Emmett said.

"It was the only way I could talk her out of dressing me to go hunting. We'll be up there for a week. Tell Edward he needs to get slightly detached from Bella. Keep him entertained while we're gone," I explained.

"Oh," Alice said, suddenly seeming to remember something. "What kind of car do you want?"

"Um…," I began. "I _am_ particularly fond of the American Muscle era. I'm torn between a '67 Shelby and a '68 Z28 Camaro SS. And can I rebuild them myself? From the ground up. Just bring me them in a basket case, like have the body intact but other than that completely hollow. I like having projects."

Emmett's jaw dropped. He looked completely stunned. I quickly darted behind him, ready to catch him in case he passed out, which he did. When he woke up, he stared at me and said "Oh… my… God. I had no idea girls liked cars that much."

"Oh yeah," I replied. "Cars are my passion. That and other outdoorsy stuff. Hunting, fishing, camping, etc. My dad and I used to go hunting all the time. I actually have some wood seasoning in the woodshop where I work. And a couple of bows that I have made myself. I love the recurve style. It's so elegant."

By this time, all of the Cullens were standing around, completely dazed. I looked at them all and said "Don't forget to breathe. We're supposed to at least _appear_ human. Shouldn't we keep up our appearances?"

Edward shook his head to shake himself out of his stupor. I looked at him and saw that he looked like he was feeling rather awkward and shifting back to hide behind Bella. I made eye contact with him and he bolted from the doorway. I heard his bedroom door slam.

"If someone would show me where I'm staying while I'm here, I'd like to get ready to go hunting," I said.

Everyone began scrambling around and both Emmett and Jasper offered up their own rooms, just to see what I would do with the décor. Little did they know, I had a tent with me, so I said "Relax, everyone. Until Esme and Carlisle find a spot for me to stay, I can set up my tent in the yard. I don't mind camping."

"OK," Esme said. "That reduces some of the panic. Go set up your tent and get ready to hunt. We'll meet on the front porch when you're done."

"Thank you, Esme," I said. I then took my tent and duffel bag and went out to the back of the house. I had just gotten started setting my tent up when I heard a voice.

"You have more of an effect on people than you know. I've never known Edward to be that blunt, or Alice to give in so easily."

I whirled around. "Who are you," I asked.

The owner of the voice chuckled. "That is for me to know, and you to find out. Though I may play a larger part in your life, or lack thereof, than you expect."

It wasn't until Esme came up behind me and asked who I was talking to that I realized I was hearing someone's thoughts. Aside from Esme, however, there was no one around. All I saw was an eagle flying off into the sunset.

"Nobody," I said. "I'll meet you out front in 10 or 15 minutes." I then finished setting up my tent, changed into my hunting attire, and sat in my tent polishing my bow while wondering if the thoughts that I was hearing belonged to the eagle or not.

**A/N: Sorry for the short chapter. I'm not really in the mood to write today. Besides, I wanted to save Getty's first hunt for another chapter. I want 3 reviews before I give you guys the next chapter. I will also give you sneak peeks at the next chapter for this one too.**


	4. First Hunt

**A/N: Okay, this doesn't seem to be working very well. I'm only asking for a small number of reviews and instead of getting what I ask for, I get one, maybe 2 if I'm lucky. Unless I get the number of reviews I ask for, I'll only update once a week or less often. People that do give me reviews will still get a look at the next chapter. I'm asking for 4 reviews this time. Review and get a sneak peek, don't review and not get an update for a week: it's up to you.**

**Disclaimer: All I own of Twilight is a copy of the books. The characters, except Getty and maybe one other to come into play later, are all property of the wonderful genius that is Stephenie Meyer.**

**Chapter 5**

When I met everyone out front, Alice couldn't believe what she was seeing and it didn't take me long to notice that everyone was wearing designer clothes. Alice's ensemble was even complete with Prada sunglasses. I was wearing my camo hunting gear and had a quiver with about 5 dozen arrows strung across my back and I was carrying my favorite bow. It was a recurve bow that I had made of mahogany and the front of it had a thin layer of black fiberglass. I used it every time that I went hunting with Ryan and it was perfect for hunting elk. I'd even used it bowfishing a couple of times, but it still showed no signs of wear. That's how good I took care of it. Alice immediately took me aside.

"What the hell are you wearing," she asked incredulously.

"Um… you said we were going hunting," I replied. I then heard her thoughts and realized that this type of hunting didn't require weapons other than our monstrous instincts and our teeth. "And I thought that maybe by taking a bow and arrows and wearing this," I gestured to my outfit, "that our prey would be less suspicious of our intentions."

"Less suspicious??" she shrieked. "In that kind of get-up you're just screaming 'Yeah, it's OK. We're just here to kill you'"

Her sarcasm cracked me up. I couldn't breathe I was laughing so hard. Alice had never struck me as the type to be sarcastic. Just goes to show how well you know people, huh? Then I remembered something that the eagle had thought: _You have more of an effect on people than you thought. I've never known Edward to that blunt, or Alice to give in so easily_. I realized then that I desperately needed to talk to Carlisle.

"Fine," Alice huffed. "Wear whatever you want." Then we rejoined the group.

As we got back to where everyone was standing, Alice went into some kind of trance. 30 seconds later, she walked up to the rest of us and she was laughing.

"What's so funny," Edward asked.

Alice's reply was brief in between her gasps for breath. "Ask Jasper when we get back." Then she continued laughing, tears brimming her eyes.

I was confused as to why Edward would have to ask Jasper. "Why ask Jasper," I asked.

"We always have Jasper hunt with the newborns. He understands the mindset and longing for human blood of the newborns better than the rest of us," Carlisle replied. "He will be hunting with you and hopefully able to help you resist the call of human blood, on the off-chance you encounter humans."

"OK," I replied, too thirsty to care. "This throbbing in the back of my throat is getting difficult to ignore. The last thing I want is to accidentally kill one of my friends or a member of my family. Let's get the show on the road." I appeared more eager than I felt. What was so great about hunting without a bow? I didn't get it.

"And Getty," Carlisle got my attention.

"Yes?"

"Leave the bow and arrows here. You won't need them".

I begrudgingly went back to my tent and put my bow and arrows back in the case. I was going to miss hunting with those. After my reluctant return without my beloved bow, we split up. Jasper and I headed east; Carlisle, Esme, and Edward went north; Alice, reluctant to be separated from Jasper, headed south with Emmett and Rosalie.

Running faster than I thought was possible, we arrived in the mountains in Montana in about 2.5 hours. I was amazed at my increase in both speed and stamina.

"That's part of being a vampire," Jasper said. "You don't seem to excited to be hunting. You were ecstatic when you first heard the word 'hunting'. What changed?"

"I had to leave my bow behind. That is my most prized possession and I fondly refer to it as 'my baby'. I've never been hunting without it and never more than 10 miles from it."

Jasper gave me a look that suggested that he understood exactly how I felt. How I felt about my bow was almost exactly how he felt about Alice. As he was about to reply, I saw a bunny dart between two bushes. In less than a second, I was crouched over the animal and had drained it completely of blood. I wiped my mouth and stood up, only to see Jasper buckled over in hysterics that rivaled those of Alice earlier that morning. "What the hell's so funny," I half spat, half asked him.

In between gasps for air as he was rolling around on the floor, Jasper replied "Bunnies… hopping… blood… drink… hunt… funny… Alice… right". By now he was clutching his ribs with both hands while trying to wipe the tears from his eyes.

"Can I get that in a coherent sentence?"

Jasper was still laughing as hard as ever, so he couldn't reply. I waited, tapping my foot impatiently. Then I went after another couple of bunnies and a moose. The moose did it for Jasper. He regained some respect for me after I killed what he considered to be a decent sized animal.

"I meant 'You hunt bunnies? And like their blood? That was funny. Alice was right.'" Then he noticed my clothes. "You're clean. You don't have a drop of blood on you. How'd you do that?"

"OK. I'll try to answer all of your questions. First: yes. I hunt bunnies. Second: I _do _like the blood of bunnies. It tastes Cadbury Crème Eggs mixed with Peeps. You know, the Easter candies. Finally: I managed to stay clean because I've always been able to eat without making a mess. I believed that crossed over into my vampire life because I heard somewhere that certain abilities from your human life are magnified once you're a vampire."

I climbed into a tree this time. I slowly looked around and saw what I was looking for: a crow. I jumped off the tree branch and quickly killed and drained the crow of its blood. "Ew…"

"What," Jasper asked.

"That tasted like McDonalds. Absolutely disgusting. I hate preservatives. Qué asco." I shuddered. "I thought _we_ came here to hunt. Aren't you going to feed?"

"I will in a couple of minutes," Jasper replied. "I need to finish catching my breath. No one has ever made me laugh the way your hunting methods and prey do."

"Thanks, but I think I need to rest. That was a _lot_ of blood," I moaned. "Not to mention McDonald's always made me sick." I lied down on my stomach while watching Jasper hunt. Lying on my stomach was the only way I could ever make my stomachaches go away. Jasper was not very neat. He came back dripping in blood and moaning like he too had had too much to eat. I, however, was ready to go back. I'd heard Edward wondering what the events after the hunt would be like this time and was eager to find out too.

"Come on Jasper," I said. "Let's go back to Forks. I want to know what we're doing after the hunt and don't want to give into temptation if we run into humans."

He rested for five more minutes then we went back to the Cullens where everyone was waiting eagerly to hear the story of my hunt.

When we got back after an uneventful trip through Montana, Idaho, and most of Washington, everyone went back in the house to clean up except me. I hadn't gotten any blood on me so I just went to my tent to change my clothes. I just put on jeans and a t-shirt since I expected that Alice would want to play Barbie doll with me.

Back inside, I was surprised. Everyone was dressed like me, even Alice. That made me suspicious. "What's going on," I asked.

"After every hunting trip, we all do some sort of activity as a family," Emmett replied. "This time we're going to play baseball." He was obviously excited. I could tell from his thoughts that this was his favorite.

"Sounds good," I said. "Which team am I on?"

Jasper whispered in my ear. "You're still under my watchful eye, stupid."

The way that Jasper and I jested back and forth, I could tell he was going to be one of my best friends in this family. We were already jabbing at each other like brother and sister. I loved it.

"Carlisle," I began. "Could I talk to you for a couple of minutes before we go?"

"Sure," he replied cheerfully and led me into his study. "What's on your mind?"

"Well…," I began. I wasn't entirely sure how to phrase this. "When I was out setting up my tent, I heard the thoughts of an eagle, but they were far too logical to be those of a simple animal. It sounded more like the thoughts of a far more advanced animal and the eagle thought that I have a greater affect on people than I know. Do you know what this means?"

"I have noticed that Edward and Alice have been acting mildly out of character for themselves around you. Alice is always persistent and Edward has never been blunt. He was always very eloquent, but around you, Alice backs down quickly and Edward is very straight-forward. I think you may somehow be the cause of this. I haven't any idea how though."

"What about the eagle? There's no way it could be just an eagle. Have you ever heard of animals being able to turn into other animals besides humans into wolves?"

"I've heard of it," Carlisle said, "but I've never experienced there being anything like that or had any proof that it was true. That is what this eagle seems to be though: a complex animal capable of transforming into an eagle. I don't know if this is a good thing or not."

I was concerned, but Carlisle seemed perfectly content with the situation, so I decided not to let it bother me too much. "Thank you for answering my questions. Let's go have fun with the others now."

**A/N: I am still looking for a Beta and as far as reviews go, I think I want the number of reviews to be the next chapter number, so basically I need 5 more reviews before I update again, then it'll be 6, then 7, and so on. If you give me a good review with constructive criticism and everything, I'll give you a brief glimpse at the eagle's next appearance.**


	5. PostHunt

**A/N: This time, I'm asking for 5 reviews. I haven't gotten any for the previous chapter. I will still give you a sneak peek at the next chapter if you write me a review. If I don't get these reviews, you won't have another chapter until next Saturday. I don't want to wait a week to update, but I will if I have to.**

**Disclaimer: I. Own. Nothing. I'm just a nerd that's addicted to reading, woodworking, and Twilight. Stephenie Meyer is the creative genius behind my obsession.**

**Chapter 6**

After my discussion with Carlisle, I could tell that everyone had noticed the change in my mood. Thankfully, no one decided to ask me about it, though they were all wondering what the cause was. I decided to ignore them and put on a façade of being happy. I may have overdone it though, since they were all still suspicious.

"Come on, people," I whined. "I thought we were gonna go play baseball. Let's go, let's go, let's go already."

"Impatient much," Alice asked me.

"Only a little."

10 minutes later we were all in the field and split into 2 teams with Esme umping. **(A/N: umping refers to the action of being the umpire in baseball or the referee in other sports) **The game went by quickly because of our speed and strength. My team beat Emmett's 37-23. Emmett, having had his ego bruised, challenged my team to a re-match after my newborn strength wore off. I accepted the challenge with a laugh knowing that Emmett's brawn could never outplay my strength and planning that I gained from working at a woodshop. If his ego hurt now, just wait until I _didn't_ have my newborn strength.

When we got back to the house, everyone wanted to watch a movie, so I suggested Saw II. I put it in the DVD player and, since I'd already seen it, watched everyone's reaction. I never thought that it was possible for a person to actually turn green, but when I looked at Bella, she looked like the Wicked Witch of the West. I'm not kidding. That's how green she was. I was sort of expecting her to turn an olive color, which is the color most people turn when they see someone's throat get cut. Me? I laugh. Like a hyena. I'm not kidding. Aside from me, everyone else looked extremely disturbed. Edward doesn't count though. He was too busy comforting Bella while watching my reaction to pay any attention to what was going on during the movie. Boy, I tell ya. Sometimes that guy gets a little creepy.

To lighten the mood, I stopped the movie and asked Jasper to tell the story of my first hunt. He willingly obliged.

I must say, I was impressed by Jasper's story-telling ability. He made my hunt sound so much more exciting than I thought that it had been and everyone laughed at my McDonald's comment. Since I had been on that hunt, however, I decided to just sit back and let my mind wander. It didn't get to wander for very long before it was interrupted by someone's thoughts. It didn't take me long to figure out who's they were: Edward was staring right at me throughout the story. Every time Jasper said something that I felt was even slightly exaggerated, I refuted it, and I just kept hearing Edwards's thoughts.

_She's so modest. And so talented. She doesn't have any right to be this modest. I wish I could tell if she were genuine or if everything that she's shown is simply a façade. Someone that modest _has_ to be genuine though. If only she weren't so confusing. The only person I've ever found to be this difficult to read is Bella and she was _easy_ compared to this. I'll bet Getty is a good person. She's probably very outgoing and confident. I know if Jasper were to praise Bella like this she'd be beet red by now. Which means Getty is also probably fairly arrogant. She _has_ to be. I've seen some of the stuff that she's made. And that bow. You _can't_ be that good at a trade and _not_ be arrogant. And she probably would put herself before others a lot of the time. She seems to know enough about surviving to have some sense of self-preservation. And yet, she seems so down-to-earth. I wish I could understand this girl._

I felt really uncomfortable listening to Edward's thoughts. I knew how much Bella loved him and she would be crushed if she knew that Edward was thinking things like this. But that's not really something that you keep from family. And I could definitely think of Bella as a sister. Speaking of Bella, it was at this moment that I heard another person's thoughts.

_Getty's a good hunter. And she's probably a really nice person. She's so talented and not arrogant at all. I bet she'd be a really good friend. I just hope that, if she hears anyone's thoughts that might hurt me that she would tell me. If I got to know her better, I'm sure that she and I could be as close as Alice and I are. Except I doubt that Getty would play the Bella Barbie game._

I saw Bella shudder at this thought. She must really hate this so-called "Bella Barbie game". Whatever that is.

_I still can't believe she managed to stay clean while hunting. I've never known anyone capable of doing that. I wonder what she thinks of all of us._

At this point, I became overwhelmed by thoughts and decided to go outside and get some air. Maybe set up a target and practice or something. As I was pulling my bow out of the case for the second time today, I noticed that someone was watching me. Before I could turn around to rudely ask whoever the hell it was what they wanted, I heard a thought. And the "voice" didn't belong to any of the Cullens.

_So they have another… Aro, Caius, and Marcus will not be pleased. Fortunately for Jacob, Edward seems smitten with this one._

I turned around sharply to go back inside when I bumped into Edward.

_Why didn't I know he was there? Whatever had that thought said that he seemed smitten with me. I feel like such an idiot._

"Hi," Edward said, clearly nervous.

"What do you want," I asked rather rudely. I couldn't help it. I was just sort of annoyed and concerned. I have a tendency to turn into a bitch when I'm annoyed. Usually when I'm hungry too. Or I guess it'll be thirsty now. Gotta get used to this vampire shit.

"First to know why you were so rude just then. It seems out of character for you. Secondly, to know everything about you."

"I'm sorry I was rude. I'm just a little stressed and worried right now. And you're hugging me…"

"Yeah…?"

"Why?"

"I have no idea. And are you going to tell me everything about you, or what," he pressed.

"Firstly, I will tell you about me later. Second, I know that you are never this get-to-the-point or blunt about anything. I'd actually heard you were quite eloquent. What brings on the bluntness? Thirdly, will you get the hell off me?"

"Sorry," he said, sounding offended and hurt. "You didn't strike me as the type to be this rude."

"I told you earlier, I get this way when I'm stressed or pissed." He was certainly exasperating.

"In all honesty, I have no idea why I'm being so blunt. There's just something about being around you that makes me want to be blunt. I try to be eloquent, but everything I say just slips out blunt and sarcastic. I never have problems with this around other people. I think there's something about you that makes people act the way you do. You even have an effect on Alice. It's weird."

"Thanks," I said sarcastically. "I need to go back inside. It's getting too awkward out here for my comfort level."

As I walked in, Jasper was telling everyone about my encounter with the bunny. "When she finished it off, I was rolling around on the ground in hysterics," he was saying. "I couldn't even form a coherent sentence to talk about it with her."

At this point, everyone was laughing and giving me looks that said "Bunnies…?"

In between fits of laughter, Emmett managed to choke out "Why… do… you… like… the… blood… of… bunnies… wuss?... You… are… so… going… down… next…year."

"Ask Alice," I spat. "Remember when she had that vision before we went hunting? She saw my prey of choice."

"Geesh…," Emmett began once he had stopped laughing enough to talk normally. "What bit you in the ass? You're all happy giggly when you leave and then you turn into bitter bitch."

"None of your business, Emmett. I'm sure you'll find out soon enough though. Carlisle-" He looked up. "Your office. Now. We need to talk."

**A/N: I'm going to write the next chapter tonight. I've decided that you guys need to be bribed to review. I know I get enough hits that asking for so few reviews is not outrageous. If you give me a review, I will send you a quote from the next chapter. I expect 5 reviews before posting the next chapter. I don't think that's ridiculous. It won't take you **_**that**_** long to write 50 words telling me what I did well and what I could improve on. Seriously people. I have the next chapter written now. It's already uploaded to my account. It's just waiting for those 5 pretty reviews that I asked for. I will put it up just as soon as I get those. I've had more than 5 hits on this story today already. You could have the next chapter right now, but it's up to you whether you get it tomorrow or in a week. Just R&R for me.**


	6. Alice's Vision

**A/N: We're actually starting to get somewhere plot-wise. There may only be 5 or 10 more chapters left. This is going quicker than I thought it would. Still looking for a Beta. If you are a Beta and you like this story, please volunteer to edit. I want 6 reviews before I post the next chapter, so review and you can have the next one soon or wait a week. BTW guys, thanks to Written Soul of Song, you get the next chapter today instead of Saturday. If I don't get the 6 reviews, then you guys have to wait until next Wednesday for the next chapter. Just let me know what you think.**

**Disclaimer: All the credit goes to Stephenie Meyer. I am not her.**

**Chapter 7**

Back in Carlisle's office, I didn't waste any time getting to the point.

"I think I heard the eagle again. He mentioned something about some people named Aro, Caius, and Marcus," I started.

"The Volturi…" he murmured.

"What?"

"Never mind. You'll learn eventually. What did you hear?"

"He said that those people would not be pleased that you have another one."

"Anything else," Carlisle asked.

"Nothing important. Just something about Jacob being pleased because Edward seemed smitten with me or something like that. Should we tell anyone else?"

"I don't believe that will be necessary at this point in time. All we know is that the eagle is some sort of agent of the Volturi and that they will not be pleased that you are with us. We don't really have enough information to make it reasonable to worry everyone else."

When we got back downstairs, Alice was sitting on the couch staring out the window with a vacant expression on her face. Everyone else was staring at her intently waiting for her to say something. Not too long after Carlisle and I entered the living room, Alice blinked twice and shook her head.

"Everything okay," Esme asked.

Alice looked mildly disturbed. "Huh? Oh. Yeah," she said unconvincingly. "Everything's fine. Absolutely nothing to worry about," and then went on trying to act nonchalant, even though everyone could tell that something was wrong.

Edward glanced at me with a concerned look on his face.

"Is everything okay with Alice," I asked him.

"I don't think so," he responded. "She seems really uneasy for some reason. That's very out of character for Alice and she just had a vision."

"What of?"

"I don't know," he said. "I'll go ask." Edward then ran off after Alice and caught her by the elbow in the hallway. "What's going on? We all know that you had a vision and none of us have ever seen you this ill at ease before. Is something bad going to happen? Is something going to happen to Getty? Tell me what's going on."

Alice drug Edward off to her room where they spoke in hushed tones. Despite this I could still hear them. "The Volturi are coming," she said.

"What? When? Why? Tell me what's happening," Edward demanded. "And _don't_ leave anything out".

"Okay," Alice said in a resigned tone. "That eagle that Getty's been hearing…"

"What eagle?"

"Getty has been hearing the thoughts of an eagle. That's how powerful her gift is. She can hear the thoughts of animals and the thoughts that people don't want her to hear: the ones that they can block from you. But the eagle that she's been hearing… That's Billy Black."

"What? Jacob's dad?"

"Yes, Edward. Jacob's dad. He is working for the Volturi. Apparently Carlisle was not supposed to add any more vampires to the coven and Getty has a power that Aro would find useful in the guard. Now that Aro, Marcus, and Caius know about Getty, they are coming here to talk to Carlisle and Esme and have already decided that Getty is either going to go back to Volterra with them or she will be killed.

"The Volturi have every intention of bringing their entire guard with them. They anticipate a fight and are prepared to use every weapon in their arsenal to defeat us. They know that we will not surrender her without a fight."

I could tell by Edward's voice that he was immensely shaken up by this revelation. "Wh- what are we going to do?"

"All that I can think of is to tell everyone what's going on and hope that by some miracle someone comes up with a plan that can save us. We need to assemble an army. Seeing that they have to fight more than just us is the only thing that will stop the Volturi from annihilating us immediately."

"Okay. Let's go talk to them."

**In the meantime…**

**Jake's POV**

I was about to fall asleep when all of a sudden I heard someone pounding on my door. "Jake!! Wake up! This is important!"

"I'm up, I'm up," I groaned. I then opened the door. "What's up, Dad?"

"I have some news about Edward and Bella." I wrinkled my nose at the mention of the bloodsucker's name.

"I was about to go to sleep. Make it quick," I said.

"The Cullens have a new vampire. From what I could discern, her name is Getty and she's only been with them for a couple of days-"

"That's great, Dad. Can you get to the Edward and Bella part?"

"Edward seems to be smitten with the new one."

With this, I sprung into action scrambling around looking for something nicer than just sweats. I had made up my mind to go and steal Bella away from the bloodsucker the minute my dad used the words "Edward" and "smitten" in the same sentence. I grabbed the keys to my Rabbit and immediately headed to Forks.

**Back at the Cullen house…**

Though they had agreed to tell everyone the contents of Alice's vision, Edward and Alice were arguing about when to tell everyone.

"God damn it, Alice! Everyone saw you have the fucking vision. You need to tell them what the fuck is going on. They have a right to know. Especially Getty." They were shouting at this point.

"No, Edward," Alice countered. "The vision's too fuzzy. I want to know more concretely what is going to happen."

"That's the biggest load of bull I've ever heard in my life," Edward screamed at her. "This involves the possible destruction of our family and the one person I love most in this world.

"When are they going to be here," he asked in a more level voice.

"About six hours."

"That's it Alice. I'm telling everyone with or without you. They _need_ to know. We have to have time to prepare."

"Alright. I'm coming. And Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"Stay away from Getty. I don't want Bella to get hurt again any more than I want you to get hurt."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see."

Just as Edward and Alice were coming back downstairs, there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it," Bella volunteered. "Jake- what are you doing here?"

"Hey Bella. Can we talk?"

"Sure," she said in a wary tone. It sounded more like a question.

**Bella's POV**

I closed the door behind me. "What's up Jake?"

"You never come out to La Push anymore. We miss you out there."

"We?"

"Yeah. Me, my dad, Seth, Leah, all those people. We," he said as he slid his hand down my arm and took my hand. I squirmed out of his reach and turned my back on him.

"I don't know if I'm ever going to come back out, Jake. I'm sorry. I just don't feel like I belong there anymore. I love Edward and I don't want anything to harm my relationship with him, even if it's just some petty rivalry between you two."

"You don't get it, do you Bella?"

"Get what?"

"I don't think Edward loves you anymore. Have you seen the way he looks at Getty?"

"I haven't noticed anything special about it, if that's what you mean. He just looks at her the way he looks at Esme: like family."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," Jake warned me. "I think there's something more there, even if you choose not to see it. Besides… what do you see in him anyway? He left you once, who's to say he won't do it again?" With this, Jake grabbed my hand and pulled me into a kiss.

I shoved against him with as much force as I could manage and when he broke away, I slapped him as hard as I could. "Damn it, Jake," I screamed at him. "I love Edward and he loves me. There is nothing you can do about it. Leave and don't bother coming back. And don't expect to see me in La Push again. Tell everyone I said 'hi'".

"Don't get your hopes up Bella. Pay attention to the way Edward behaves around Getty and the way that he looks at her. I'll be around waiting when you come to your senses." And with that, he left.

**Back inside…**

**Getty's POV**

When Bella came back inside, she looked a little flustered, but everyone was more concerned about what Edward and Alice had to say. All Alice had to say before having everyone's undivided attention was "The Volturi are coming". She then launched into what she had seen in her vision and what that meant was going to happen. After she was done, everyone had only one question.

"When is this going to happen?"

"We only have about five hours left now." After Alice said this, everyone began to panic.

**A/N: Okay. Before I post the next chapter, I'm going to ask for 6 reviews. I know you guys can do this. My story gets more hits than this on a daily basis. If everyone writes a review, this goal will be more than surpassed and you can have the next chapter tomorrow. Also, my schedule is really hectic right now. I try to have the next chapter already uploaded to my account, but sometimes that doesn't always work. I have one chapter left up on my account and I haven't had time to write another. You will get quotes if you review. Just bear with me if I don't get the chapters up as often as I've promised.**


	7. Getty's Plan

**A/N: Before I give you the next chapter, I want 7 reviews. That's all I ask. Just 7. You guys have been really good about reviewing lately and I appreciate it. I just want to let you all know that you don't have to sing my praises all the time. Constructive criticism is also very welcome. I need to know how I can improve.**

**Disclaimer: Must I continuously tell you people that I am not, however much I may wish I was, Stephenie Meyer?**

**Chapter 8**

"Five _hours_," everyone asked in a mix of shock, panic, and incredulity.

"That's right," Alice responded. "We only have five hours to get ready to fight the Volturi or to get out. We only have five hours to decide what we are going to do."

"But… What are we going to do," Bella asked.

"I think I have an idea," I said. "But since we are so pressed for time, you all have to listen to me _without_ interrupting or complaining."

They all looked at me, willing me to continue.

I continued. "I think, for now, we should run. It will give us time to prepare and build an army of sorts. It is the best way to guarantee that we will come out of this situation victorious. Are there any vampires like us in the area?"

"There's a coven up in Denali," Edward replied.

"We need to contact them and explain to them what is going on," I continued. "If we're lucky, they will fight with us. I think Edward should be the one to contact them, but there are more pressing issues. Given the state of things, it is too dangerous for them to come here. We have to arrange a meeting up in Canada somewhere, more importantly, somewhere that the Volturi, whoever they are, won't think to look. I have a friend up in Yellowknife** (A/N: Yellowknife is a city up in the Northwest Territories in Canada)**, so I think that would be the best place to go to meet with the Denalis.

"I have a pilot's license and access to a couple of planes. We will fly up to Yellowknife and then, hopefully, return with the Denali coven. We _will_ fight when we get back.

"Everyone is to pack one, and _only one_ bag to take with them. Alice- this means that you have to leave all of your make-up and other primping utensils _here_. You _cannot_ take them with you."

A stunned expression crossed Alice's face and then disappeared as quickly as it had come as I gave her a death glare.

"After you have your bag packed," I continued, "meet me outside by the cars. We will then drive to the airport. All of us, except Esme, will then take the Gulfstream G-650 that is waiting there up to Yellowknife. Before we leave, Edward, you have to contact the Denali coven and let them know that we are coming.

"Esme must stay here until the Volturi come so that they don't suspect that we have run. The house must appear as though everyone is either at school or at work. When the Volturi get her, Esme is to let them know that we are all at school or at the hospital. She will tell them that we will be back shortly, then, on the pretense of having to run an errand, she will come meet me at the Port Angeles airport. This time, I will have a Cessna TR-182/A and I will fly Esme up to Yellowknife.

"We will spend approximately three to five days in Yellowknife preparing to fight, and then we will come back. We will meet in the meadow and wait for the Volturi there. Esme- you will return to the house and let the Volturi know that we have decided to go to the meadow and you will show them the way. The combined forces of our coven and the Denali coven should be enough to defeat the Volturi.

"If you have any objections at all, now would be the time to share them. We're down to about four and a half hours."

It seemed like everyone started talking at once. I couldn't figure out what everyone was saying to save my life.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa… One at a time. _Please._" Carlisle spoke first.

"I don't want Esme left here alone to deal with the Volturi."

"She will be _fine_, Carlisle," Alice reassured him. "She will be gone before they become suspicious of anything. Unfortunately, I won't be able to leave all of my make-up, etc. I have to take that with me everywhere."

"No, Alice," I began. "You don't. I will, however, permit you to buy new things when we get to Yellowknife. Just don't fill your suitcase up with cash. Any others?"

"I don't want to see Tanya," Edward said.

"Why not," I asked.

"I'm scared."

"Of what?"

"I fear that Tanya will place strings on the assistance of her coven. I'm afraid that she will want something from me that I won't be willing to give." Edward looked flustered as he said this.

I then tuned out Edward's thoughts because I was afraid of what I would hear at the same time that Edward was trying to listen to my thoughts to determine how I felt about the plan.

"Getty," he began. "Are you thinking about anything right now?"

"Yes," I said warily. "Why?"

"I can't hear your thoughts. I don't hear anything that you're thinking."

"Huh…" Curiosity sounded in my voice. At this point I blocked out Jasper's thoughts.

"Now I can't tell what she's feeling…" Jasper said. "This is interesting."

I blocked out Alice's thoughts.

"I can't see her in any visions," Alice said.

I blocked out everyone's thoughts.

"I can't hear what anyone is thinking," Edward said.

"I can't sense any emotions," Jasper said.

"I can't see anyone," Alice said.

"What's going on," I asked.

"Your power is more expansive than I first thought," Edward said. "It appears that you can protect yourself and everyone else by ignoring what they are all thinking. This is interesting. It could also prove to be useful when we fight the Volturi."

"That's great," I said, feigning excitement. "We should start getting ready to leave, seeing as we only have three and a half hours now though." And I went up to my room to pack.

**Chapter 9**

I had just pulled my suitcase out from under my bed when I heard a knock at my door.

"Come in," I said. "Oh, hi, Edward. What's up?"

"I just came to fill you in a lot of things that you need to know," he said as he sat down on the bed.

"Okay?"

"I'll start with the Volturi, I guess. The Volturi are basically our ruling family and the three people in charge of them are Aro, Caius, and Marcus. They make sure that everyone follows the laws, well, law, of our kind and they punish those that don't. Most vampires are so afraid of them that they don't usually have to interfere with anything and they stay inside their castle at Volterra. Occasionally they will leave in order to keep humans from discovering that we exist or to punish members of our kind for things that they were forbidden to do but have done regardless. It appears that Carlisle was not allowed to add any more vampires to his coven, so the Volturi have come to take you and have you join them or they are going to kill us all."

"That can't be good."

"It isn't," he continued. "We are asking the Denali coven to help us because, with them, we should have enough skilled fighters that we will be able to defeat the Volturi."

"So, what's the deal with this Denali coven," I asked.

"They are the only other vampires that choose our lifestyle," he began. "They are also our closest allies. Whenever we find ourselves in a position where we have to fight, they are always fighting beside us."

"Why were you so reluctant to ask Tanya to join us in the fight?"

"When we lived up in Alaska, Tanya took a fancy to me and she isn't willing to let go, even though she knows that I don't love her."

I was packing the entire time he was talking. By the time he finished, I was just zipping up my suitcase and began to look for my navigation charts and keys to both planes and my car, along with my cell phone. I looked up, startled, when he asked me what I thought the end result of the plan was going to be.

"It'll be fine. Everything's going to turn out okay," I said, falsely optimistic, though he didn't seem to notice.

He then took my hand. "You're right," Edward said. "Everything is going to be fine." With that, he pulled me in close to him and the next thing I remember is his lips on mine, moving forcefully and passionately. Once I realized what was happening, I immediately pushed him away.

"What the hell do you think you're doing," I spat. "What about Bella? She doesn't deserve to be hurt like this."

"I know," he said, looking ashamed. "But I can't help it. I don't care what happens to Bella as long as I have you. Besides, Bella has been distant lately. I think she's cheating on me. With Jacob."

"Why would you think that," I asked him. "Bella loves you. More than you could ever know."

"I saw them earlier. He kissed her and it didn't look like she was trying to push him away. If she can cheat, then why can't I?"

**A/N: Cliffie!! Sorta. Not as good as the last chapter. 7 more reviews until you get the next chapter. I know you all love this story. I'm not afraid to delete it again either and I know you like sneak peeks. Again, bear with me if I'm slow updating. My schedule probably won't calm down until January if not later.**


	8. Discovered

**A/N: I know this is a shorter chapter, but I've had to deal with school and the like and my schedule is crazy right now. I haven't really had time to sit down and write anything. Before I post the next chapter, I'm going to ask for 8 reviews. You guys came through in fine style for Chapter 7 (6 that I uploaded). Especially because of DarthButtercup. I know, I know. BUNNIES!! I put that in there for you actually. 8 reviews or wait a week. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 10**

"Because that wouldn't be right," I told him. "Bella deserves to have you tell her what you saw. She deserves to have a chance to explain to you what happened between her and Jacob. That is the very least she deserves."

"I know, but-" Edward began. He stopped talking suddenly, then tilted his head to the side a little, and I knew what he was getting ready to do. Faster than he could move, I bolted to the other side of the room.

"Edward," I scolded him. "Remember what we were just talking about? Besides, I don't like you like that. I love you like a brother, but that's it. Come in Bella. How long have you been standing there?"

**Bella's POV**

I was just getting to the top of the stairs on my way to start packing when I heard voices coming from Getty's room. It sounded like she and Edward were arguing about something.

"What the hell do you think you're doing," Getty spat. "What about Bella? She doesn't deserve to be hurt like this."

"I know," Edward said, sounding ashamed. "But I can't help it. I don't care what happens to Bella as long as I have you. Besides, Bella has been distant lately. I think she's cheating on me. With Jacob."

"Why would you think that," Getty asked him. "Bella loves you. More than you could ever know."

"I saw them earlier. He kissed her and it didn't look like she was trying to push him away. If she can cheat, then why can't I?"

"Because that wouldn't be right," Getty said. "Bella deserves to have you tell her what you saw. She deserves to have a chance to explain to you what happened between her and Jacob. That is the very least she deserves."

"I know, but-" Edward began. He suddenly stopped talking, then when the voices resumed, it sounded like Getty was on the other side of the room.

"Edward," she said. "Remember what we were just talking about? Besides, I don't like you like that. I love you like a brother, but that's it. Come in Bella. How long have you been standing there?"

Shit. Busted.

"Hey Getty," I said. "Edward." I nodded curtly at him.

"How long have you been standing there," Getty asked me.

"Long enough. I can't believe you could think something like that about me, Edward. And Getty-" I said.

She looked up.

"Thank you for standing up for me. Most girls would just go along with whatever Edward said. I truly appreciate that you didn't".

I had to get out of that room before I started crying. I wanted Edward to think that I was angry. I didn't want him to know how much he had hurt me. Not five seconds after I left Getty's room, I heard footsteps behind me and saw a duffel bag go whizzing past my head towards the door.

"Bella," Getty began and I jumped almost through the roof in fright. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to scare you like that. And I'm also really sorry that you heard what Edward said. He should have told you that rather than have you hear it at an inopportune moment".

"I know," I said. "But even if he had told me to my face, rather than let me overhear him talking to you about it, it would have hurt me just as much."

"I know, but as much as he hurt you, you still need to tell him what happened between you and Jacob. And he needs to hear it from you."

"Seriously, Getty? You really think, especially after him telling you all that, that he would believe anything that I tell him anymore? And even if he did believe me, he wouldn't understand."

"You don't know that. He might understand better than you think. And, even if he doesn't, you still need to talk to him."

"I know. But I still don't want to. I'd rather hear this from you now than find out about it later on, so could you tell me?"

"Sure, Bella. What is it?"

"What did you and Edward talk about before I overheard you guys?"

"Mostly he just filled me in about the Volturi and everything else. Andhekissedme." She said that really fast. I can only assume that she did so because she knew that I wouldn't want to hear that. "I had no idea that he was planning on doing that, though."

"How could you not know something like that," I asked her.

"I can hear everyone's thoughts. Including the ones that they don't want me to hear. My best guess is that he didn't think about it at all first. He wasn't thinking about anything. And if he was, then he must have some sort of shield too."

"Oh… Thank you for being so honest about all of this."

"You're welcome, Bella. I know if my boyfriend was doing something like this that I would want to know, as much as it would hurt me. Now go pack. I'll buy you a cup of coffee later or something. Don't forget to talk to Edward."

Getty then left, and I must say, I felt better. Edward had hurt me deeply, but Getty's honesty and advice took some of the salt out of the wound. I then set to work packing, determined to talk to Edward when I was done.


	9. Please Don't Hate Me For This

**Just so you all know, I have not forgotten about you. I've been _REALLY BUSY_ with school and work and the like and haven't had much in the way of time to work on this. I promise that I'm working on it in every spare minute that I have, but this next chapter is a collaboration with DarthButtercup and we're doing our best to make it flow equally well into both stories. I promise that I _AM_ working on this story, but I have no idea when I will be able to update. In the meantime, go to DarthButtercup's page and read _Vampires Don't Eat Chocolate_ and _Today Was One of Those Days_. You'll need to read those to have the best understanding of what is coming up.**

**By the way guys, the whole bunny thing was also DarthButtercup's idea. It mostly made it into this story through her recounting a day at the mall with friends to me and then us wondering what it would look like if a vampire hunted bunnies. This story just screamed "bunny-hunting vampire". But DarthButtercup deserves all the credit.**

**Please continue to read and review. I love you all! Oh... the link to DarthButtercup's page is on my favorite authors, just in case you can't find it.**


	10. Another Author's Note I'm REALLY SORRY

**I promise, promise, PROMISE that I have not forgotten about you. I'm still really busy, but I have had time to work on this story lately. Especially since I was up until 1 AM doing laundry last night. I'm about halfway done with the next chapter so if you review, I promise I will give you a sneak peek at the next chapter. Don't forget to read those stories I mentioned last time. I still have to get the next chapter done, but since it is being co-authored with DarthButtercup, I still need to get it sent to her and finished so that it fits with both stories. Once the chapter is finished and all the kinks are worked out, I will put it up within 5 seconds of its completion. I promise. And you will get it before the month is over. Please don't hate me and don't forget to review.**

--HelplessSoul


	11. Preparation and Leaving

**Chapter 11**

**Bella's POV**

I really didn't want to go talk to Edward, but I knew that I had to. After I calmed down for half an hour with Wuthering Heights and a cup of coffee, I headed up to Getty's room and opened the door. Edward was standing with his back to me facing the window with his right hand and forehead resting on it.

"Edward-" I said, unsure of how to begin. I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, resting my cheek against his back.

"What you saw happen between me and Jacob wasn't what it looked like at all. In fact it was exactly the opposite. He made advances, true enough, and, yes, he did kiss me, but I pushed him away immediately. I told him that I love you and have no intent to leave you."

"Bella," he said and then turned around. The pain in his eyes was obvious, and then he did something I never would have expected: he pushed me away. "It's not that I don't believe you, it's just that I feel it would be cruel to string you along any further. I don't want to put you through that much pain. I don't know how to tell you this, so I'm just going to say it." He paused here.

"Say what," I pressed.

"I think I'm in love with Getty".

To put it mildly, I was floored. Then the door opened.

**Getty's POV**

I had just left Bella as she was starting to collect herself enough to talk to Edward. I figured it would be best to give her 45 minutes to calm down and talk to him. I decided to go for a walk. I got back to the house 40 minutes later, then went to file a flight plan when I realized that I had left my phone upstairs. I waited around for another 10 minutes before I went to get my phone. Just as I got to the door, I heard Edward saying something.

"I think I'm in love with Getty," Edward said.

At this point, I walked in. "Edward," I said, "Just so you know, there's someone that I love. I'm already taken. I love you like a brother, but that's it." I then grabbed my phone off the bedside table and left the room. Just as I was about to call to file the flight plan, my phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey, baby," the voice on the other end said.

"Scott," I half asked, half squealed.

"You know it."

"OH MY GOD!!! I missed you SOOO much!!"

"I missed you too. Can we talk?"

"Later, maybe," I said. "I have to try to save my family from the twisted, demented, blood-drinking forces of evil. I should be up in Canada in a few hours, but I don't know how long I'll be staying. I have to make a few calls so I can save my family, but I _will _call you later. I promise. I love you. Bye."

"Bye, baby. I miss your voice already."

"Ever sappy, aren't you?"

"You love it," he said.

"Yeah," I said dryly. "Bye." And I hung up the phone. 10 minutes later, I had a flight plan filed for the next day and was on my way to find Esme to go over the details of the plan when the doorbell rang.

At the same time, Jasper and I shouted "I got it," so we raced to the door. Just as I was about to open the door, Jasper put his hand on top of mine. "Wait," he said.

"Why?"

"Do you smell that," he asked.

I sniffed. "Yeah, it's sweet. Like humans mixed with honey. What is it?"

"Witches". Then he opened the door angrily. "What do you want," he growled at none other than one of my best friends, Ally. What struck me most about Ally was her response to Jasper. I tried to walk out the door to hug her, but I couldn't. There was some sort of invisible barrier.

For what felt like three hours, we just stood there staring at each other. It was then that Esme walked in. "Getty, Jasper, who was at the door?"

For a time, neither of us answered.

"Getty, Jasper," she prodded.

It was then that I shook my head out of my reverie. "Oh, um, Esme, Jasper, this is one of my best friends, Ally. Ally- this is Esme, my adoptive mother, and Jasper, my adoptive brother. All Ally and Jasper managed to do was continue glaring at each other. Esme, however, managed to be courteous.

"Hello, Ally. It's nice to meet you. We were actually packing up to head north for a while. Jasper, Getty, I can put your stuff in Emmett's jeep. Ally, you're welcome to come on the trip with us."

"Thank you, Esme. I'll consider it." Then Ally turned to me. "Wait… You aren't human."

Uh oh… But bless Alice and her wonderful timing.

"Getty, I just saw something. I'm not entirely sure that your plan will work out as well as I first thought."

"Okay. We'll go over it when everyone else is done packing," I told her. Then she left, I assume to tell everyone about the last-minute family meeting. I then turned my attention to Ally. "What are you doing here ," I asked her.

"I could say the same to you," she replied somewhat bitterly. "I thought you were at Trinity. Trinity is in _**Ireland**_ and you are in _**Forks**_!! _**WHAT HAPPENED???**_ And they're… they've got to be VAMPIRES!!!"

"Ally, Ally. Calm. Down," I said. I then told her everything that happened since I'd last seen her.

"YOU ALMOST GOT KILLED BY A BANDSAW!!! YOU IDIOT!! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING??? NO… YOU DIDN'T _ALMOST_ GET KILLED BY A BANDSAW. YOU _DID_ GET KILLED BY A BANDSAW!!!"

"Deep breaths, Ally. It was an accident. You know how careless I get on tight deadlines."

"That's no excuse," she yelled at me, calmer than before, but still overreacting. "Wait… if you're here, that means you're a vampire too."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. There was a reason I didn't want to tell you that story. I knew you would react like that." It was then that I noticed everyone standing on the stairs. "Okay," I said. "Let's get this family meeting thingy over with."

We all went into the living room. Things were pretty tense in the foyer and I wanted to escape some of that. Once in the living room, I went over the plan one more time and at the same time, Ally said "That's _so STUPID_" and Alice said "There are a couple parts of that that won't work." Not two seconds after that, I saw Ally's clothes change into something I'd never seen her wear before. It looked like gold armor, complete with chain mail, breast plates, a shield, multiple weapons, and a helmet. My jaw dropped to the floor.

"Where are the werecrows," Ally yelled. "Come out, come out and play".

And she was worried about me… Then a bunch of crows flew straight through the house and out the back, with Ally hot on their heels, in a manner of speaking. When the rest of us got out back, Ally's clothes had changed again. This time she was in a gold business suit writing insanely complex calculations in the air. When she finished, she screamed at them. "I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE!!!"

Then the doorbell rang. Again.

Ally dashed back inside and answered the door before any of us got a chance. "Brie," she said excitedly. "What are you doing here?"

The person I could only assume to be Brie walked in rolling a 55 gallon drum of something in before her.

"Brie," Ally asked. "What is that?"

"Icing," Brie said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You have a 55 gallon drum of _icing_," I asked incredulously.

"She has a thing for icing," Ally told me.

"Well obviously. She has 55 gallons of it."

"Hate to interrupt the discussion," Brie said. "But would someone care to tell me how you vampires got into trouble _this_ time? **(A/N: I **_**almost**_** stopped here, but then I figured that you've been so patient and it would be cruel to deprive you)** And Edward, why haven't you changed Bella yet? You know that a certain group of vampires will be very angry with you for that".

"I know," he sighed.

"Okay," I said. "Brie- stop picking on Edward. Here's the plan as it stands: We are going to run. For now. We will contact the Denali coven and ask for their assistance in building an army to fight the Volturi. We are going to meet them in Yellowknife up in Canada and spend as long as we possibly can training me to fight and having other vampires that can sympathize with our cause join us. We will train and, when we are ready, I will fly us all back, hopefully including the Denalis. When we return, we _will_ fight. I know Alice and Ally wanted to make some changes to it. We can do that now if you'll all come back inside with me. Just so you know, though, any changes must be made rapidly. The Volturi will be here in about two and a half hours."

We all went back in the house and congregated in the kitchen with Bella nervously rummaging around for something to eat. "Okay," I began. "We were going to make some changes to the plan… Alice, tell me what your vision entailed."

"Well, if we fly up to Canada, it will take the Volturi longer to find us, but we need a new location. It seems that they have spies in Yellowknife and if we go there, they will find us in less than 2 days. I recommend that we go somewhere more isolated and difficult to get to, Prince Edward Island, for example. Or maybe the Yukon. Either will be a good place. I'd say go to the Yukon because it will be easier for the Denalis to get there. Other than that, we have no other problems."

"Unless they have the place bugged," I said skeptically.

"They don't," she assured me.

"I still have a couple of objections," Ally said. "It really doesn't make sense for you to go there and then come back here. Either go there and stay, or stay here and wait and send Edward to talk to Tanya and everybody."

Edward spoke up at this for the first time in hours. "No, no, no, no, no," he said repeatedly looking at each one of us in turn. "I am NOT going to talk to Tanya by myself. I would either take Getty with me or we train up there while waiting for the Volturi to find us."

"What do you think," I asked Brie, accidentally catching her with a mouthful of icing.

After swallowing, Brie responded. "I think we should combine a little of Ally's plan and Alice's suggestion. Go up to the Yukon and talk to the Denalis and get their cooperation and train while waiting for the Volturi. That way Getty will be able to fight if needed and you will all be able to cooperate better with each other."

"What does everyone else think," I asked. "Because that plan sounds good to me."

"Sounds good to me," Emmett, Rosalie, Carlisle, Ally, Alice, Jasper, Esme, and Edward said.

"Okay then. It's a plan. Let's put her into action. We're rapidly closing in on two hours before they get here."

After I said that, everyone started haulin' ass out to the cars and toward the airport. "WAIT!!!," I called out to them at the top of my lungs. "I'm NOT ready for us to go just yet. I have to go on a hunt with Esme quickly and, unless you want to be sitting at the airport waiting for up to 45 minutes, I suggest you stay here." Their jaws all plummeted to the ground, never having seen me so authoritative in the time that they had known me.

"Ready," I asked Esme.

"Sure, let's go".

Shortly after we disappeared into the woods, I spoke up. "Okay, here's a couple of details that concern you and only you so I felt that it was unnecessary to have everyone else hear. Basically, it consists of how I'm going to get you up to the Yukon."

"I'm listening".

"I want you to meet me at the Friday Harbor airport in about 5 hours. I need you to entertain the Volturi and make sure that they don't get suspicious. What I have planned for your escape is fairly simple. All you need to do is tell them that you are going to run an errand and take your car. Tell them you probably won't be back for three hours or so. I figure that they will take an hour before they become suspicious enough to come looking for us. By that point we will be about ready to land in the Yukon.

"But, what I want you to do is to drive as fast as you possibly can to the Friday Harbor airport. I will be there waiting for you by a small single-engine plane. You should see it right away. No one will be suspicious if I'm just standing against it. Bring your bag with you and be sure to get into the plane quickly. By the time you get there, we will have to be off the ground within 10 minutes, so run at human speed to the plane. We don't want to alert any of them to our existence as vampires, otherwise there will be more hell to pay.

"I'm taking everyone else up on a business jet to try to trick the Volturi into thinking that there's actually 2 different pilots when its really only me."

After I told Esme all that, she agreed. After that, we parted ways for a short time to hunt. I nabbed three bunnies, the final one in front of Esme. She was giving me one of the strangest looks. "What," I asked. "I thought I told everyone that I hunted bunnies. And what's it to you if I do? They taste like Peeps mixed with Cadbury Crème eggs. I thought I told everyone that too. Guess not… Let's head back. We've only got two hours left".

**(A/N: I **_**almost **_**stopped here too, but then I figured, why not get everyone but Esme up to Canada)**

Esme and I got back to the house in under 5 minutes to find everyone packed and waiting by Emmett's jeep. "Okay, guys," I said. "There was a reason I told you to only pack one bag. It'll be faster if we run to the airport than if we drive, even though we all drive like maniacs". With that, we all took off at a dead sprint toward the airport. Almost immediately, Emmett caught up with me.

"So why are we flying up to Canada instead of running or driving," he asked me.

"Two reasons: a) it's faster to fly, and b) flying leaves no scent between the departure point and the destination". With that, we arrived at the airport.

"Okay, everybody in the plane," I said.

"Which one," Edward asked.

"The one that's just getting pulled out of the hangar". I pointed and they all turned their heads and stared in awe.

"You think that's amazing," I said, "Wait until you see the inside. Come on. Get in, get in." With that, I put their bags in the cargo hold and they all got in. I made my way up to the cockpit when Jasper stopped me and asked my why we weren't going to wait for Esme.

"I'm going to pick her up at the Friday Harbor airport in about 6 hours in a different plane. We have to make sure that the Volturi don't get suspicious".

"Oh, gotcha," he replied.

"Everything okay," I asked him. "You seem a little tense".

"Yeah," he said. "I'm fine. I just hope this whole thing works out fine".

5 minutes after that, we were in the air on our way to the Yukon. All of us. Me, Ally, Alice, Jasper, Edward, Bella, Emmett, Rosalie, Brie, and Carlisle. On to the Yukon to see what we would have to work with when we finally had to fight the Volturi.

**A/N: Okay, now I'm done with that chapter. And what a marathon it's been. 6 wonderful pages of writing that took almost 15 hours to get perfect. And neglect of AP Stats homework. Leave me a review letting me know what you think. No promises on when the next chapter comes out. I would like 10 reviews before going on, but I'll take what I can get.**


	12. On The Way to CanadaThe Volturi Arrive

**Chapter 12**

**Getty's POV:**

On my way to the cockpit, I had noticed that Ally seemed disgruntled, so it didn't surprise me that she had found a way to mess with the wiring in the plane. I knew she would find a way to retaliate, so it didn't surprise me when 5 minutes after taking off, I heard a country song start playing and couldn't believe what it was.

_Cheater, cheater where'd you meet her?  
Down at Ernie's Bar?  
Did she smile your way, twirl her hair and say how cute your dimples are?  
Did she use that line "Your place or mine?" while you danced with her real slow?  
Tell me cheater, cheater where'd you meet that no good, white trash ho?_

Liar, liar did you buy her whiskey all night long?  
Did you hide your ring in the pocket of your jeans or did you just keep it on?  
When the deed was done and you had your fun did you think I wouldn't know?  
Tell me cheater, cheater where'd you meet that no good, white trash ho?

Now I'm not one to judge someone that I ain't never met  
But to lay your hands on a married man is 'bout as low as a gal can get  
Hey I wish her well as she rots in hell and you can tell her I said so  
Cheater, cheater where'd you meet that no good, white trash ho?

Loser, loser hope you love her cuz your stuck with her now  
Take your sorry butt, load up all your stuff, and get the hell out of my house  
But I just wish you'd tell me this one thing before you go  
Cheater, cheater where'd you meet that no good, white trash ho?

Now I'm not one to judge someone that I ain't never met  
But to lay your hands on a married man is 'bout as low as a gal can get  
Hey I wish her well as she rots in hell and you can tell her I said so  
Cheater, cheater where'd you meet that no good, white trash ho?

Yeah I just wish you'd tell me this one thing before you go  
Cheater, cheater where'd you meet that low down, up town, slept with every guy around, pressed on eyelash, no good, white trash ho? (Cheater, Cheater; Joey + Rory)

I decided to have a little conversation with Ally about her little stunt. "Ally," I said over the intercom, "Will you come into the cockpit for a minute"? After that, I heard her sigh, exasperated, and trudge into the cockpit.

"What," she said somewhat bitterly.

"Care to explain your little stunt?"

"Not really."

"Allyson Hunsacher," I warned, scowling at her.

"Fine. This plan is better, but I still think it's stupid. I mean, what if the Volturi check on Esme's motives as she's leaving the house to meet you at the airport? Won't they hold her hostage? And are you guys sure you're prepared to deal with a hostage situation? Did you even take _any_ of this into consideration?"

"No, Ally," I replied, silently thanking Gulfstream for equipping this plane with a GNS-480 **(A/N: A GNS-480 is a Garmin Aviation GPS/Autopilot system that will actually fly the plane for you if you set the auto-pilot to GPS-Nav)**, as I set the auto-pilot to GPS-Nav. Know Ally, these conversations could last hours. "I probably would have if you had brought it up _before_ we left the house. And since I've been so busy doing things related to the current plan, particularly the transportation, I haven't had time to think about all of the 'what ifs'. Or mess with the wiring on the com system to play "Cheater, Cheater" and make Bella and Edward feel even more uncomfortable around each other. I'm sure because of that, Bella's going to think that song describes mine and Edward's relationship, which is _so_ not the case."

"Sorry," she said. "But why didn't you ask Alice? I mean isn't she Miss I Can See the Future? She should have been able to see something like this happening. And what if Esme _does_ get held hostage? You're really going to wish you'd listened to me then."

"No, Ally_son_ you're not sorry. Just don't do it again. Brood silently to yourself next time; don't mess with electrical systems on planes."

"Fine," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and we fell into an uncomfortable silence.

"So…," I began, breaking the silence. "You're a witch."

"Yeah, I was surprised too."

"So…" Ally, I assume, could see exactly what I was leading up to, and laughed.

"No, Getty. We don't dance naked under the full moon, have black cat familiars, or twitch our noses to cast spells."

I laughed too, when she said this. "The sun doesn't kill me, I can cross running water, and my skin is _way_ too hard for a stake to pass through." I smiled at Ally. "You're looking good, especially considering all that has happened."

Ally laughed at this. "So are you, especially since you became a vampire."

"I think I know what you're implying, and you better not be implying that. I could kill you in less than 5 seconds if I felt like it, remember?"

"You wouldn't kill me," she said.

"You're probably right. So, why is it that when I try to hear what you're thinking, all I can hear is classical music and numbers and equations?"

"What do you mean," Ally asked me.

"The Riemann sum from zero to infinity of x to the two n plus one over two n plus one factorial?"

"Oh. Equations. Right. That's the value of sine at x."

"Okay. That still doesn't tell me why that's all I hear you thinking, but I think we have bigger fish to fry right now."

Not 30 seconds later, I heard the GPS ding back to pilot nav, alerting me that it was time to begin the descent.

"You can go join everyone else now. Tell them we should be on the ground within 20 minutes, through customs in less than an hour."

I then heard Ally's best flight attendant voice coming over the com system, telling everyone that we would be through customs in less than an hour and how to fasten their seatbelts. "Insert the flat end into the buckle and tighten by pulling on the loose end of the belt." I laughed at this. She talked to them like they were three. It was funny, especially when I heard Emmett say "Geesh, Ally. We aren't three. We know how to fasten seatbelts."

Then quieter, I heard him say "Wait… how does this thing work again?"

I could do nothing but shake my head and laugh quietly to myself and then land the plane.

**Alice's POV:**

We had been up in the air for about 40 minutes when I'd noticed that Brie had been staring out the window for almost the entire flight, looking up at the sky. "What's wrong," I asked her.

"Nothing," Brie sighed dejectedly.

"Brie," I told her. "Remember who you're talking to. I can tell when you're lying. Wait a minute… You're here alone. Where's Arawn?"

Brie sighed again. "I left him someplace where it is never dark. I don't have to seriously worry about him there, which makes it easier for me to help you guys, since I'm better able to focus on the task at hand, rather than worry about Arawn. Have you seen anything else about how this plan is going to work out?"

"No, nothing clear. The Volturi don't know what our plan is, so they don't have any suspicions about Esme's motives when she leaves the house, but I can't say that it will stay that way. I'm sure that Aro will check for deceit when Esme leaves to meet Getty at the Friday Harbor airport, but he doesn't yet know that Esme is planning on leaving, so…"

**Esme's POV:**

My family had just left for the airport to go to Canada, leaving me at home alone. I missed Carlisle terribly, but I knew I couldn't follow them, since someone had to make sure that the Volturi didn't immediately know that we, well my family, had run and I was planning on running. Bored, with nothing to do, I decided to clean. I began to do so absentmindedly, but all too soon, though it was probably 45 minutes later, there was a knock at the door. When I answered it, I was not at all surprised to see Aro, Caius, and Marcus standing there. "Hello, gentlemen," I said. "Care to come in?"

"Thank you, Esme," Aro said. "It's so nice to see your lovely home again."

"Thank you. Are your wives still in Volterra?"

"No," Marcus said. "They all had to take care of errands stateside. I believe they went off to New York. While we're on the topic of families, where's yours?"

"Carlisle is off at the hospital and the kids are still in school. Alice said something about taking everyone to go shopping in Port Angeles afterwards, so I have no idea what time they're planning on being home. May I get you anything to drink? I apologize not having any human blood, but perhaps gorilla or orangutan would be close enough?"

"No, thank you," Aro said. "Though we appreciate the offer. You said you don't know what time your children will be home, but what about Carlisle? We have some important business to discuss with him."

"I believe he was planning on going with the kids. Would you be able to tell me what the business is concerning?"

"I'm afraid we can't do that," Caius said. "It's a private matter between us and Carlisle."

"I could call him to see if he could get away from the hospital," I offered.

"Would you please," Aro requested.

"I'll be right back." I left the room and then took out my phone and called the hospital's cardiologist, whom I knew would not be able to leave, since he had to perform a surgery in an hour. "Hey, can you get away? I need to talk to you."

"I'm sorry, Esme," he said. "I have to perform a quadruple bypass in an hour. You know I can't get away."

"All right. Thank you. Goodbye." I hung up the phone and went back into the other room. "I'm sorry. He can't get away. He's got to perform a surgery in about an hour and God knows how long that'll take."

"Thank you for checking for us though," Caius said.

"Not a problem."

"So we have a question for you Esme".

"Yes," I asked.

"Has Bella been changed yet?"

"No. The agreement was that she would be changed after graduation. That doesn't happen for another three weeks."

"Do you know if she is going to be changed immediately after graduation or if Edward was planning on waiting for something?"

"I don't know. Also, it seems to me that when Edward is planning on changing Bella is his business and no one else's."

"Fair enough. I was just curious if you knew anything about it. While we're on the topic of Edward, do you know if he has given any more consideration to our offer to have him join the guard? He could be a very valuable addition, you know."

"I don't believe he has thought any more about it, no. I doubt he could bring himself to separate from Bella, even for 10 minutes." _Though it seems more likely now that Getty has joined us_, I added silently.

"What about Alice? Has she given further consideration to our offer?"

"No, she hasn't. She couldn't stand to be away from Jasper, and he, even if given the opportunity, wouldn't join your guard."

"I heard it through the grapevine," Aro began, "that you have a new member in your coven."

"Yes, we do. Her name is Getty. Carlisle was at her father's woodshop commissioning a bookcase when the bandsaw that she was working on had a kickback and cut her carotid artery. She would have died if Carlisle hadn't been there."

"Yes, I'd heard about that. She's been a valuable asset to your family, hasn't she?"

"Very, but things have been tense between Edward and Bella since she came. I can't for the life of me figure out why."

"Do you know if Edward has experienced a change of feeling, for example, falling in love with Getty and out of love with Bella?"

"I haven't a clue. Even if I did, it's not my place to say. Who Edward does or does not love is his business and no one else's. With the exception of Bella, of course, since she is, in fact, still his girlfriend."

"Of course, Esme".

"Forgive me, but I just realized that I have to go get more coffee for Bella and run a few more errands. I probably won't be back for 4 or 5 hours, but feel free to make yourselves at home."

"Thank you, Esme," Aro said, taking my hand and pulling it to his lips, as if to kiss it, but smiling menacingly instead. "That is a very kind offer."

I pulled my hand away. "Okay, I'm leaving now, but will be back in a few hours." As I said this, Aro growled and Caius and Marcus sprang, so that, between the three of them, all possible exits from the room were blocked.

"As I was saying, Esme," Aro said from his post at the front door. "That is a very kind offer, but completely unnecessary. You aren't going anywhere."


	13. Tuktoyaktuk

**Chapter 13**

**Edward's POV:**

I really didn't want to call Tanya, but I knew that I had to. We needed the Denali coven on our side if we were to ever have any hope of defeating the Volturi. I knew there would be conditions placed on Tanya's assistance. It had always been like that. Every time I needed something from Tanya, there were always strings attached. Always. But Getty had asked me to call Tanya, and, to her knowledge or not, I could not say no to Getty. So I did what I had been dreading:

"Hello, Tanya."

"Oh, hi Edward," she said. "What's up?"

Here was the part I dreaded. I was about to ask her to meet me at a bar, which I knew she would assume was a date. "Just the usual, you know… School, hunting, etc. How about you?"

I regretted the words as soon as they were out of my mouth. I knew Tanya would launch into a 30 minute, detailed story of everything that had transpired since we had last spoken. 10 minutes later, I stopped her. "That's wonderful, Tanya, but I really didn't call to talk."

"Then why did you call," she asked me.

"I really can't talk about this over the phone. I'm in Tuktoyaktuk **(A/N: From here on out, Tuktoyaktuk will be referenced to as Tuk. That is the actual nickname for the town, and is much easier to type than the full name.)**, in the Northwest Territories."

"Yeah?"

"There's a new bar here called Breaking Dawn. It's 8:30 now. Meet me there at 5?"

"Okay, Edward," she said, excitement obvious in her voice. "I can't wait!"

After hanging up with Tanya, I ran my hand through my hair and let it rest on the back of my neck. I never knew conversations could be so stressful. Right then, my savior and my reason for 'living' walked in.

Getty rested her hand on the side of the window and stood, looking out for what felt like hours. I couldn't help it. I walked up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist. "Hello, beautiful," I whispered in her ear. Yes, I did know that she had a boyfriend whom she loved, but I was determined to not give up. She tried to pull away from me, but I refused to let her go. She turned around to face me.

"Edward," she said sternly, looking me square in the eye. "Either you will release me, or I will have to remind you that I have no qualms whatsoever about building a fire right here and now."

God, I loved this feisty woman. She was amazing.

"Edward," she warned me again. "Let me go, or I turn you to ash."

I could tell she wasn't making an empty threat, so, reluctantly, I let her go and she turned back to the window.

"I called Tanya."

"Good," she said. "What time are we meeting her and where?"

"I told her to meet me at Breaking Dawn at 5."

"Okay," she said. "I'll meet you there."

**Getty's POV:**

"Okay," I told Edward. "I'll meet you there." Then I left the room.

I took out my phone and called Scott. He answered on the first ring.

"Hey beautiful."

"You weren't waiting for me to call, were you," I teased.

"What? Me? Wait for you to call? Never!"

I laughed. Busted.

"Scott," I started. "You do know that the world doesn't revolve around me, right?"

"My world does," he said.

I knew there was a reason I loved this man, but I couldn't let him know that I enjoyed his sappy romanticism.

"Ugh, you're going to give me cavities. Oh, guess what."

"What?"

"I made it up here. I'm in Tuk as we speak, actually." After I said this, I heard a door slam and tires spewing gravel.

"So far away," he whined.

"Not really," I countered. "You're only in Yellowknife. That's less than 700 miles. It's only 9, and knowing the way you drive, you could easily make it here by 5."

"Where're you going with this, babe?"

"You know the new bar, Breaking Dawn?"

"Yeah," he said cautiously.

"Meet me there at 5. I'm going through withdrawal."

I could hear him shaking his head at that. "And you say I'm giving you cavities."

"Well you are," I retorted.

"Yeah, yeah."

"Wait, how'd this happen? I'm supposed to be the one making sarcastic, dismissive remarks. You're good my friend."

"You wouldn't have me any other way," he said.

"I know. Just don't get cocky, okay? 'Cause I will dump your ass if you do."

"Alright," he said. "I promise. I'll see you at 5. I love you."

"I love you too. I'm counting the minutes."

"I'm sure you are."

"Remember what I said about cockiness?"

"Yes, mother."

"Bye, Scott."

"See you soon, beautiful."

I felt better after talking to Scott. I always do. Fortunately, he would be there when I next had to deal with Edward. For now, though, I had to clear my head, so I went swimming in the mouth of the Mackenzie River, where it met the Beaufort Sea.

**7 hours later:**

It was a quarter to 5 when I walked up to the door of Breaking Dawn, when I heard a catcall behind me. I turned around, looking for a construction worker, but all I saw was a 2009 Cadillac CTS-V. I walked over to it, and was looking it over when I felt someone quickly grab and release my sides. I whipped around and came face-to-face with the most welcoming sight I had ever seen.

I was greeted by an eyeful of 6 foot 3, light brown hair, hazel eyed, lean, muscular, smiling big enough to be seen from space…

"SCOTT," I squealed, jumping up and wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Hey, you," he said, enveloping me in the biggest hug of my life. "Like my new car?"

I was speechless. "This is yours? Who? How? What?"

"Stop sputtering," he said. Before I knew what was happening, his lips were on mine, and he was kissing me like never before.

After about 10 minutes, (What can I say? The boy has stamina.) we pulled apart, both gasping for air, me unnecessarily so.

"I missed you," I said. "Maybe we can continue this later, but, for now, let's go inside."

He pouted, causing me to glare at him. "Fine," he relented. "You were always good at making people succumb to your will."

"And I use it to my advantage," I said as we walked in the door, arms around each other's waists.

When we walked in the door, the hostess couldn't take her eyes off of Scott.

"Table for one," she asked.

I pulled Scott's head down towards me and kissed him. Turning back to the hostess, I smiled smugly and said "four. We have two other people joining us soon."

She led us to our table, all the while receiving imploring glances from Scott. "I have a business meeting. I just really, really missed seeing you," I explained.

He began to nuzzle my neck. "Oh. I missed you too."

As Scott was saying that, I heard Edward walk in. When I turned, I saw a pained expression on his face and a strawberry blonde throwing herself all over him.

_Edward,_ I thought, _look to your right_. He looked, and I waved.

"Who are you waving at," Scott asked, as I saw Edward walk gracefully over.

"Scott, this is my associate, Edward Cullen, and his friend Tanya."

As I was making the introductions, Edward shot me an inquisitive look.

_I told Scott that this was a business meeting._

_I suppose it is, of sorts._

"So, Tanya," I began. "How are things in Alaska?"

"Slow. We've only been hunting and going on about our lives. There's only school and the like, you know?"

"I completely understand," I said. "It's dull, but it's better than nothing, but enough of the pleasantries. Let's get down to business.

"Tanya, we need your help. The leaders are coming. I don't know why, but I do know that unless we get help from you and your family, my entire family will die."

"By 'leaders' you mean…" _the Volturi_, Tanya finished silently.

"Yes. They don't know that we've come here, but I'm sure that by now they're with Esme."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean we left Esme in Forks to either stall them or prevent them from finding out where we are. This doesn't change the fact that we need help from your family. Are you in or out?"

"I think we can manage to help you," Tanya said. "Just keep in mind, my assistance is not unconditional."

"And what might these conditions entail?"

"Baby," Scott said. "Where'd you learn all these big words?"

I smiled at him. "Forks," I said matter-of-factly.

Everyone started laughing.

"Conditions," I pressed.

"Oh, yes," Tanya said, as if suddenly remembering. "Either you, Getty, come and join me and my family in Denali, or Edward gives me what I want. And he knows full well what it is that I want."

Edward mentally groaned so loudly, I could have sworn that everyone at our table heard it. The look he gave me had "help me" written all over it. I shook my head.

"Thank you, Tanya," I said politely. "We truly appreciate the help. Also, we will carefully consider each condition and let you know the agreed upon condition at a later date."

"Sheesh, Get," Scott said, earning a death glare from me.

"You know I hate that nickname."

"Sorry, beautiful, I was just going to ask why you were acting so business-like."

"Business-like? At a business meeting? Me?"

"Now you're just being sarcastic."

"Me? Sarcastic? Never!" I feigned offence. I looked at Scott's face for a couple minutes and couldn't help but laugh. He looked so guilty. "Relax, honey," I said. "I was just teasing. You know I love you." As I said this, Edward bolted from the table, with Tanya chasing after him.

"What's his problem," Scott asked.

"I really don't know how to word this nicely, so I'm just going to say it: he's in love with me, and therefore, jealous of you. I've told him time and again that I don't love him, and I've even told him about you before. For whatever reason, he has deluded himself into thinking I'll change my mind, even though he has someone that can and is willing to reciprocate his love."

"Tanya?"

"No. Well, yes, but there's someone else I had in mind. Someone he loved before he met me."

"Girlfriend?"

"Yeah." I looked at my watch. "I really don't want to, but I have to leave. Will you give me a ride back to the hotel?"

"Sure."

I smiled. "Let's see how much giddy-up that Caddy has."

While driving back to the hotel, Scott asked me a question I knew had been simmering in his mind since the conversation with Tanya.

"Something has changed about you," he started off. "You didn't use to be cryptic and mysterious. Not that it bothers me. But you also look different. More glamorous. It's nice and all, I'm just wondering what happened. Does it have anything to do with that Edward guy?"

_Oh, crap, _I thought. _How do I explain this without telling him everything?_ "No. It has nothing to do with Edward. It's just another thing I picked up in Forks. I'm good friends with Edward's sisters and well, let's just say that they're a little bit obsessed with fashion."

"Oh. I guess that would do it. It really is good to see you again."

I smiled. "You too."

We were back at the hotel and, after an intense 15 minutes, I went inside, promising Scott that I would call him soon and more often. When I walked into the hotel room, Alice was in front of me before I knew what was happening.

"Getty," she said, mildly panicking. "Esme's been kidnapped."

**A/N: There you have it. Another chapter. I didn't get any reviews for the previous chapter, so I would sure appreciate some for this one. Sorry for the cliffies in this chapter and the previous one, but now we're at the same point in the story for both Esme and the rest of the Cullens. Battle coming up shortly. That may take a while to write, since I have no idea how to orchestrate it. Anyway, review please. I'm working as fast as I can.**


	14. The Meadow

**Disclaimer: I am NOT, by any stretch of the imagination, Stephenie Meyer. Though the world might be a somewhat better place, for me, at least, if I were.**

**Chapter 14**

**Getty's POV:**

"What," I said, stunned.

"Esme's been kidnapped," Alice repeated. "The Volturi have kidnapped her to try to force our hand. They think it will give them a more successful strategy. They think that by forcing our hand now that we will be unprepared for battle."

"Is that the case?"

"No. We are ready to fight them and preempt any attack from them that we may face."

I was pacing nervously throughout the entire exchange with Carlisle glaring at me as if to say 'Why didn't you think about this. I told you something like this could and probably would happen.' He was certainly livid. "Thank you, Alice," I said.

I needed to clear my head, so I went outside. Before I was able to leave, Brie blocked the door so that I was unable to leave. "I can free Esme," she said.

"How?"

"It's not really that difficult. All I have to do is sneak over to wherever it is that Esme is being held while the Volturi are distracted by the battle and bring her back with me. The thing I'm most worried about is her mental condition. She may not be willing to come with me."

Bella spoke up. "That's nonsense, Brie, and you know it. How long have you been friends with us? Esme knows and trusts you. She knows that you won't hurt her and mean her no harm and that all you want to do is bring her back to her family. She will want to go with you."

"Okay," Brie said. "Just remember that it might take some time for her to get back to how she was before all of this happened. Hostage situations are fragile. Seeing you all might be all she needs to relax and go back to being herself, it might not. I just want you to be prepared for whatever happens."

"Don't worry, Brie," I said. "I know it's a lot to worry about, but let's just get through the battle for now. Esme will be returned to us, either through your plan or through some other method. For now, though, I need to get some air."

I went for a run through the forest and paused when I heard the thoughts of a familiar eagle.

_I found them. Ha! Aro will not be pleased that they ran. Just wait until those damned bloodsuckers realize how valuable Billy Black really is…_

Quickly, I pulled a tranquilizer dart out of my pocket and aimed carefully. Ten seconds later, the eagle that is Billy Black fell into my eagerly awaiting hands and I woke him up.

"Billy," I said when he was awake.

"Oh, it's just you. The girl that died in her father's… wait… if you're dead, then how can you be alive? You joined the bloodsuckers, didn't you?"

"Yes. And we need help from the werewolves."

"No. The wolves have to defend our own territory. There is no available manpower."

"Well, you're coming with me anyway," I said, taking Billy back to the hotel with me.

When I walked back into the room, Billy, in eagle form, in tow, Emmett's thoughts screamed out at me:

_Cool. Lunch._

AA/ally shuddered while I glared at Emmett and proceeded to tell my story of what happened since I'd found Billy. Then I turned to Bella.

"Bella, I need you to do something for me."

"Yes," she said cautiously.

"I need you to go and convince Jacob to give us the werewolves help."

"How?"

"

Do whatever you have to. Kiss him, talk to him, yell at him, go on a date with him, God forbid it comes to this, but sleep with him."

Brie interrupted. "That probably won't be necessary," she said, earning a glare from me. "Sorry. Proceed."

"We need the wolves on our side," I continued. "And I have a feeling we won't get their help unless you convince Jacob by whatever means necessary. Please Bella. I need you to do this for me; to save us all."

"Alright," she said, reluctantly resigning herself to the task.

"Thank you, Bella. Oh, Ally, would you please go with her?"

"How else is she going to get there?"

"Thank you. Okay. It appears that we have everything sorted out for the battle, so now, once we're all packed, we can head back to Forks and defeat the Volturi and rescue Esme."

Ally and Bella left immediately, with Brie following them. I didn't really want her to go too, but it would probably best to have a third person in case of emergency, and I knew Brie could take care of herself, along with others that needed help in almost any circumstance.

**Back in Forks:**

**Bella's POV:**

After our previous exchange, I was on edge about talking to Jake, but we needed the wolves to help us. Fortunately, Ally and Brie were coming with me this time. I always felt more confident in a group. There really is some truth to that saying about strength in numbers.

"Hey Ally," I said. "From how stressed Getty sounded on the way back here, I don't think we have much more time before we battle the Volturi, so if we're going to go to the wolves, we have to leave like now."

She walked up to me and said "Okay, let's get going. I hope you aren't claustrophobic." She took my hand, and we plummeted into the ground. Sooner than I ever would have thought possible, we were standing in front of Jake's door.

"How'd we get here so fast?"

"Well," Ally began, "You may have f igured out that I'm a witch. Especially after my little stunt on the way up to Tuk…"

"Yeah. I figured you were since you seem to know Brie so well."

"Anyway, I'm what's called an Earth Magus, meaning I can heal, manipulate the earth to make plants grow or die, and I can also travel through the earth, taking people with me, if I so choose. Travelling through the earth is actually the fasted mode of transportation for me. I hope Jake isn't claustrophobic."

"I don't think so," I said. "But he will be suspicious if we keep standing out her without knocking or ringing the doorbell. He's not stupid."

"Right," Ally said, before ringing the doorbell persistently, almost like a 2 year old.

**Jake's POV:**

Having gotten back from my all night patrols, I was ready to collapse into bed and dream about Bella until my next shift, which I did until I was woken up by an i incessant ringing of the doorbell.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," I said. _God, have these people no patience? I just woke up for Christ's sake._

When I opened the door, the sight that met my eyes made me forget all of my grievances for on my front porch stood none other than Bella and the most beautiful, intriguing girl I had ever seen. Looking down the line, I also saw Brie, remembering fighting the dragons alongside her.

"Hi," Bella's companion said, drawing me out of my stupor. I hadn't realized I was staring until she said "Like what you see?"

"Oh, certainly." _Way to go, Jake. Open mouth. Insert foot. _"I mean it's just nice to see a new face. Living in such a small town, you eventually meet everyone and it's nice to meet new people, you know?"

"It's totally o o kay. You're a rather fine specimen yourself," she said winking at me.

"Ally," Bella said. "We did not come here for you to flirt."

"Then why are you here?" I asked, looking at Ally, still mildly in awe.

"We're here because we need your help," she said. "I'm sure that Bella has told you about the musty smelling vampire people."

_W_W_hat the hell… 'Musty smelling vampire people'? What does that even mean?_

"The Volturi," Bella said.

"Oh. Right. Them," I said "Yes, she has."

"Well, for whatever reason, they are after the Cullens again. We need you and the werewolves to help us fight."

She didn't even have to finish her request before I was willing to grant it. Hell, I'd commit torture, treason, and murder for this woman. And rob a bank. All in the same day. "You will have our help," I said. "Even if it means that I have to convince them at knife point."

**Bella's POV:**

After convincing Jacob and the werewolves to help us with our battle, which was far easier than expected, Ally, Brie, and I returned to the Cullen house, which looked like it had been hit by a tornado after the, I assume, departure of the Volturi, to tell Getty that we got the cooperation of the wolves too. It took us a while to track her down because all of the Cullens, save for a kidnapped Esme and a panicking Carlisle, were running around the house preparing for the battle and

"Baseball," I asked Getty. "Our lives are at stake and we're going to play _baseball_?"

"Yes, Bella," she said short-temperedly. "We're going to play baseball because we don't want the Volturi to know that we are prepared to fight. They currently believe that they hold the advantage, and we want them to believe that until the battle, when there's no turning back."

"

Do whatever you want, Getty," Ally said. "Your plans are beyond help anyway. And do I have to play? I suck at baseball, unless it involves throwing rocks."

"Wow, Ally," Getty said sarcastically. "Thanks for the faith. And if you don't really want to play, you don't have to. Just don't mess with anything because you're bored."

With that, we all piled into Emmett's Jeep and headed for the meadow.

**Getty's POV:**

Arriving at the meadow, we quickly divided into two teams. Just as we were about to start playing, Tanya came, bringing with her Eleazar, Carmen, Irina, and Kate. Not far behind her was Jacob, followed by Sam, Quil, Embry, Leah, Seth, Jared, Collin, and Paul. I walked up to Jacob, Sam, and Tanya.

"Thank you for doing this for us," I said. "Without you, we have no hope of survival."

Brie's thoughts then invaded my mind:

_WHAT ABOUT ME??? I'VE BEEN NOTHING LESS THAN COOPERATIVE AND I GET NO APPRECIATION AT ALL!! NOT EVEN A SIMPLE 'THANK YOU, BRIE'!! HOW RUDE! Where's my icing?_

"You're welcome," Tanya said. "But Getty, you still haven't given me the answer as to which condition you are going to meet. Have you made your decision?"

"Yes. I will be joining your coven. Unless this ends badly, of course."

"What do you mean?"

"Unless I die."

AAAn awkward silence followed, so to break it, I decided to, with Alice's help, figure out the best place for the Denali coven and the wolves to hide.

"Alice," I said. "Would you come here, please."

"Hi," she said, unnaturally perky, give the circumstances.

"Alice, I need you to look at the outcome of the battle once more."

"Okay."

"Will there be a negative outcome if we have the wolves and Denali coven wait downwind until we call them?"

"No. The Volturi will have a crosswind when they come. They are neither using it to their advantage or disadvantage, or so they believe. The wolves and Denalis will be able to tell when the Volturi are close. Jacob, we need you to tell Getty as soon as you smell them coming. We will call you when we need you."

They agreed and headed downwind to wait, flanked by the other members of their groups.

Alice and I walked back to where everyone else was standing.

"Okay," I said. "Let's play ball."

We had made it through two innings, with me blocking Edward's and Alice's powers, and my team was beating Emmett's by a score of 7-4. It was Emmett's at-bat when I heard from Jake:

_Get everything put in the Jeep and don't act suspiciously. They're close._

_Thanks, Jake,_ I thought back to him. _Come in closer, but stay hidden and downwind. They don't need to know you're here yet._

I relayed Jake's message to the Cullens and, within two minutes, the Jeep was packed up and hidden, and we were lounging around and talking. Two minutes after that, the Volturi walked up. Aro was in the lead, flanked by Marcus and Caius.

"Where's your guard?" Carlisle asked, wasting no time with the niceties. "Are they too busy torturing my wife to come deal with the real problem?"

"Carlisle," I said in his ear, low enough so that only he could hear it. "Calm down. We'll get through this. Esme will be fine. I promise."

He nodded.

"Oh, no, Carlisle," Aro said. "You are not the real problem. In fact, you may just be a part of the solution."

"How so," I asked.

Aro turned to me. "It's quite simple, really. You see, the last time the Cullens came to visit us, Carlisle and I had a little chat and I told him three things: a) Bella had to be changed before our next meeting, something which obviously hasn't happened; b) Edward and Alice were to join our guard before the year was out, which also has not happened; and c) he was not allowed to add any more vampires to his coven, and you are living proof that he has broken that agreement as well. I only feel that since he is not in compliance, then he should suffer the consequences."

"Meaning?"

"If Edward, Alice, and you come with me, then we will leave with no intention of returning. If not, we will see to it that not a single cell of you remains along with his precious wife."

"They will never join you, Aro," Carlisle said. "I won't let them."

"Very well," he said, a sinister tone in his voice. "Bring her out," he said, and Alec, Chelsea, Afton, Corin, Demetri, Felix, Heidi, Jane, Renata, and Santiago all walked out of the forest, with a terrified, bound, and gagged Esme between them. She looked run down and exhausted, as if she had been constantly exposed to Jane's torture since she had been kidnapped.

"I'm so sorry," I said to Carlisle. "I had no idea this would happen. None of us did."

Brie and Ally stood. Ally spoke firmly and directly to the Volturi. "I am Allyson Marie Hunsacher, Guardian of the Pacific Northwest. I highly recommend leaving your hostage and returning to whatever hell spawned you, as the consequences for doing otherwise will not be pleasant."

"You foolish little girl," Aro snarled. "You think that you witches and so few, weak vampires can defeat us? We will not release our hostage until you surrender."

Brie tensed and snarled back at him "You were lucky that your numbers grew when and as quickly as they did, or your coven would have been squashed like a bug by the European Guardians. Your luck has run out."

While all this was going on, Alice mentally warned me that the Volturi were getting ready to attack. I called the wolves and Denalis out of hiding, telling them to come slowly because we didn't want the Volturi to think we were planning on attacking.

As the wolves and Denali coven flanked us, and eagle landed at Aro's side and morphed into none other than Billy Black. Bella and Jacob had and identical, almost instantaneous, simultaneous reaction.

"Dad," Jacob asked, incredulous.

"Billy," Bella said, equally incredulous.

"Come on," Billy said. "I think we need to talk."

"No, Dad," Jake said. "There's nothing to talk about. You're working for the people trying to kill the person I think I love."

"Jacob," I said. "Maybe there's more to this situation than you know. Just listen to him."

Fortunately, I had Ally on my side. "Jake, you should do it. For all you know, they threatened to kill you in order to earn his cooperation. You don't know until you hear him out."

"Fine," he huffed. "I'll see what he has to say."

"Thank you."

Jake and Bella went to talk to Billy, and I knew that it would not be long before one of our groups was completely annihilated.

As far as numbers go, we were evenly matched, but the Volturi believed that they were stronger. Unlike the Volturi, we had the element of surprise. We were prepared for battle, and I could protect our entire coven from the Volturi. All of this went against their knowledge, further increasing our advantage.

All of the Volturi and the guard were crouched and poised for attack. I took my cue and blocked the thoughts of every that was fighting for us; every vampire and every wolf including Jacob and Bella. Then the Volturi attacked.

Aro immediately launched himself at Carlisle's throat while Jane attempted to disable us and our allies, as did Alec. Little to her knowledge, Brie was rapidly coming up behind Jane to manipulate her power so that it affected her, rather than protected her. All I could tell as to how Brie succeeded in torturing Jane was that they were locked in a stare-down, neither willing to break eye contact. It was obvious that Jane was trying her hardest not to writhe in pain and I took advantage of Brie's attack to rip Jane's head off and throw it onto one of the fires that the wolves had built. Aro saw this, and his brief moment of hesitation was enough to give Carlisle the upper hand. Alec, also surprised by the failure of his attack, was quickly attacked by Ally. Ally, using her powers, had found a very large rock and had it suspended in the air. Right as Alec turned, Ally sent the rock throttling at his head. The force of the blow knocked him out and, while he was unconscious, the Tanya and Irina tore him to pieces, throwing each onto the fire.

Shocked at how quickly their leaders were overcome, for Emmett and Alice had already killed Caius and Marcus, the rest of the Volturi guard was immobilized, giving Esme a chance to escape. She came over to me and, while fighting off Chelsea and Afton, I released her from her gag and bindings. Carlisle was still struggling with a very determined Aro, so I sent her to help him.

Realizing how weak Chelsea and Afton were, seeing as I was able to hold off both of them while freeing Esme, I quickly grabbed a branch of the nearest tree and, using my teeth, transformed it into an impromptu blade. I simultaneously decapitated them both and threw their heads onto the closest fire, leaving their bodies to be dealt with later.

Looking to my left, I saw that Renata had joined Aro in his attempt to kill both Esme and Carlisle. I silently snuck up behind Renata and skewered both her and Aro. Before they realized what happened, Esme, Carlisle, and I had each taken at least one vital part of their bodies and burned them.

Corin saw this and turned to me with rage in his eyes. As I was turning toward him, I saw Demetri and Heidi crouch.

"Esme, Carlisle," I yelled at them. "Look to your right!" All I could do was hope that I'd warned them in time and turn back to my own struggle. This felt like it was going to be more animalistic than the chaos going on around us.

Corin and I were circling each other, him with a vicious gleam in his eyes. We stopped and momentarily stared each other down. Before I knew what was happening, he had launched himself at my throat and tackled me to the ground. I managed to move fast enough to get the improvised sword between us, but Corin was using all of his weight to push the branch down on my throat, and it was all I could do to apply enough pressure to keep it off my trachea. I may not need to breathe, but that doesn't make the feeling of being choked any less pleasant. Suddenly I heard a loud crack and saw that my weapon had broken. Edward also heard it and looked over. Looking at him with desperation in my eyes, I silently plead that he would see the battle I was about to lose. The next thing I knew, I felt a weight being lifted off of me and saw Edward holding Corin by the neck, threatening him. I took this opportunity to finish my own battle. I casually strolled up behind Corin and ripped off his arms, taking his head in my teeth.

"Getty," I heard Edward say. "Spit that out. You don't know where it's been."

Once I got to the closest fire, I willingly obliged.

I looked around, on alert for any more possible attacks and noticed that the only two members of the Volturi guard remaining were already disabled by Rosalie and Emmett, with Alice and Jasper inches away from taking the heads of Felix and Santiago.

_What a way to die_, Felix thought. _Being straddled by a hot blonde._

"Emmett," I said. "If I were you, I'd rip off Felix's balls right about now. You wouldn't believe the perverted things he's thinking about your wife."

Emmett roared and, faster than I could see, had Felix's balls in his hand and spiked them down on the closest fire. Returning to his wife, I saw him lean down, whisper something in Felix's ear, and then rip off his head, throwing it towards a fire as hard as he could.

Looking around, I realized that the battle was over and the entire Volturi and guard dead, also the meadow was destroyed. Half the ground was burned from the fires built to burn the bodies of Volturi and the guard, all the smoke left behind creating an eerie fog, and the trees were missing thousands of branches from us dragging the Volturi guard down to meet their maker. As I surveyed the damage, I noticed that, aside from completely destroyed clothing, our coven and our allies suffered no casualties whatsoever, then I looked over and saw Jake. I had never seen anyone look so close to death. His breathing was raspy and shallow, both of his legs were broken in several places, as were his arms. His chest was visibly collapsed, and he was completely covered in blood.

As I was seeing this, Ally came up to me.

"What's wrong," she asked.

I pointed toward Jake. "I don't know how that happened, but I'm sorry I wasn't able to protect him better. I thought he'd be safer…" Before I could finish, she had gone over to Jake and was holding onto him, rocking back and forth tears in her eyes.

"No, no, no, no, no," she said, looking up at the sky. "How could you do this to me? I finally get the happiness I've been searching for for my entire life and you're just going to take it away? This isn't fair."

As she was saying this, I saw a bright, white flash of light. When I looked around, I saw that the meadow looked more pristine than I had ever seen it. The flowers were in bloom and the trees looked perfect. A gentle breeze blew through the tall grass. I closed my eyes and realized that I had never felt more at home. I looked at Ally.

"How did you do that?"

"I'm an Earth Magus."

"Right," I said. "I remember Bella thinking something about you being able to manipulate the ear to do what you want and travel through the earth, stuff like that."

"Well, she was right."

I walked over to where Ally was helping Jake get up. He had never looked more happy or healthy. I just assumed it was part of Ally's power. I didn't really want to think about it. Jake wrapped his arm around her, and we walked back over to everyone else. I looked at them all and said "Let's go home."

­­­w, though, I need to get some air."w. Esme will be returned to us, either through your plan or through some other method. For n_____________________________________________________________________________________

The next morning, I came down the stairs, having secretly been playing Edward's piano all night. I would definitely have to be sure to get one when I went back to live with the Denalis. Looking around as I scratched the back of my head, I saw Ally and Jake lying in a pile on top of the couch. I couldn't help but smile to myself. It was so obvious how much they loved each other.

"Ally," I said, shaking her awake. "You should probably eat something. From what I've heard about witches, doing what you did yesterday uses a lot of energy. And I'll probably live to regret this, but I'll make you a pot of coffee too."

She smiled weakly. "Okay. If I can disentangle myself from Jake."

She was able to and, while the coffee was brewing, we were able to talk, just like before all of this ever happened. I was wondering how we got into all of this when Ally's voice broke through my reverie.

"Jacob almost died," she said.

I looked down at the floor for a couple of minutes, then looked in her eyes. "I know Ally. I can't imagine what I would do if Scott died. He means so much to me. Almost more than Jacob means to you."

"At least if anything like that were to ever happen to Scott you could change him. What I did for Jake is all that I'll ever be able to do for him."

"And that's enough. Ally, you saved his life and I know he'd do the same for you. I saw you guys on the couch and I can tell that you are each other's whole world."

She nodded slowly.

"Ally," I said. "We're having a party here tonight. Will you stay?"

She shook her head. "I want to, but I can't. It's a long drive back to Seattle and I have classes in the morning. Besides, even if I were to travel through the earth, I wouldn't be able to get enough sleep before I had to go back. Do you think they'd mind if I stole a jar of Bella's Nutella? I love the hazelnutty chocolate."

I laughed. "No, they won't mind. And Bella has so much of that stuff here I doubt she'd notice one jar missing."

"Getty," she said. "Did you hear that piano music last night? It was really beautiful and I was just wondering who was playing."

"I'd have to be deaf to not hear it. I was playing the whole night. I took up piano after Scott went up to Canada for school. I didn't tell anyone because it's sort of a personal thing. It makes it easier for me to live in the here and now, rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. I just find it very calming. Please don't tell anyone."

"I won't," she promised. "I do kind of wish that you had told me sooner. I like hearing you play. You're quite good."

"Thanks. I don't know what it is about Chopin's nocturnes, but they always calm me down and seem to fit how I feel so often. Hi, Jake."

"Hey, Getty. Ally, baby, you ready to go?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," she said.

Jake scooped her up into his arms and carried her out to the car as they said goodbye.

"Oh, and Getty," she said. "Be sure to e-mail me more." _And make some recordings of you playing the piano. I'd love to hear you play more often._

"Okay. Don't have too much fun guys," I said, winking at Jake as he carried Ally out the door.

When I closed the door, Alice popped out of nowhere and said: "Let's get going. We've got a party to plan."

**A/N: Wow. That's a long chapter. Sorry it was such a long time coming. School started back up on the 5****th**** and I've got Business Law, Microeconomics, Accounting, and Statistics classes. It was hard finding time to write, especially because I had to write a hella long essay for my business law class. That took up all of my writing time for at least a week. But I'm done making excuses. There's only one chapter left in this story. If you want a sequel, let me know in a review. Just a heads up though, I have no idea what the plot would be. Ideas for that would be nice too. I'll do my best to have the next chapter out by the end of the month, but no promises.**


	15. Resolution

**A/N: Here's the last chapter. I'm putting a poll up on my profile to see if you want a sequel or not. Without further ado, the last chapter:**

**Chapter 15**

Alice dragged me around for probably six hours of party planning and shopping, which I found I didn't mind as much as I thought I would, while Rosalie and Emmett spread the word about the party. Alice had even brought it upon herself to buy me a whole new wardrobe. I groaned as she dragged me towards 7 for all Mankind.

"Alice… I'm sorry, but I cannot condone spending _three hundred_ _dollars_ on less than five yards of fabric. Pac Sun is priced much more reasonably, and they have really cute clothes there. Let me show you."

Alice pouted. I don't understand what possesses this pixie to spend so much money on clothes. Honestly, I have no idea. Fancy and classic cars are so much better. "If you let me do this, we can go to Jimmy Choo later. You can spend as much as you want there. Even on me."

Alice quickly agreed and we went into Pac Sun. Once there, I quickly grabbed 10 pairs of my favorite skinny jeans while Alice looked at the shirts scattered throughout the store. She handed several to me and I went to the changing room. I modeled each shirt for her and she wound up not liking any of them. Before going to Jimmy Choo, I dragged her into Zumiez. I know I already said this, but I really didn't hate shopping as much as I thought I would.

Finally, I relented and followed Alice to Jimmy Choo. Just as we were walking in, I heard someone shout my name. It was Scott. Again. I mean, I miss him all the time too, but I swear, that guy can act like a lost puppy sometimes. I waited for him to catch up to us, much to Alice's chagrin, and gave him a hug and a chaste kiss.

"What are you doing at a mall," he asked me. "You hate shopping."

"Apparently not as much as I thought I did. And there's a party tonight that this hyper little pixie and I have to plan for, not to mention the fact that she took it upon herself to buy me an entirely new wardrobe."

"Oh, my God. Will you need to go to Cabela's and Old Navy later?"

"Probably, but don't sweat it. I can get that done myself. What are you doing in Seattle anyway?"

"Oh, remember when I started dabbling in glass blowing?"

"Yeah…"

"Dale Chihuly saw some of the stuff I did up in Yellowknife and offered me a job."

"That's amazing," I said, and came damn close to squealing. "Congratulations".

"Getty," Alice said, impatiently tapping her foot. "Stop chit-chatting. We've still got a lot to do."

"Scott," I said. "This is my friend Alice. Alice, this is my boyfriend Scott."

Alice emitted a squeal so high-pitched that it broke half the windows in the mall. "You _**HAVE**_ to come to the party tonight! I know everyone will want to meet you!"

"Come on, Alice," I said. "Let's finish this party planning thing. Scott will help." Alice and I strode off leaving Scott standing there. Thanks to my keen senses, I heard him wonder _everyone…?_

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

**Four hours later:**

Alice, Scott, and I had just gotten back to the house and I was amazed to see how clean it was. Then again, vampires move fast.

I was completely laden with Party City bags, Scott had all of my new clothes, and Alice was ten steps ahead of us, on the phone.

"Is it really so hard to get them from New York to Seattle in seven hours?" She paused to listen. "All right, fine," she huffed, throwing her phone at the wall.

I reached into the bottom of a Party City bag and pulled out another phone. "Alice, bring me your SIM card. What's wrong," I asked her when she made it back over to me. _I never did realize how slow humans were_, I thought.

"I was on the phone with the booking agent for Fall Out Boy and he said it was too short of notice for them to play. Apparently they're performing on SNL **(A/N: Saturday Night Live)** tonight."

"You were going to have Fall Out Boy play at the party?"

"Yes, but the agent said it wasn't possible, even when I offered to pay $5 million."

"And how much of that was a bribe," I asked, earning a death glare from Alice. "Sorry. Hey, I know this guy. He owes me a favor. You've probably heard of Boston? I can get them here in less than 5 hours."

"Okay."

"Here's your phone."

"Okay, let's get you and Bella upstairs. We've got to get ready."

I made a few phone calls while Alice tracked down Bella and Rose and told the guys to set up all of the decorations for the party.

When I came back downstairs, the house looked like the hottest nightclub in Miami, but I didn't have long to admire it because Tanya was waiting for me. "Will you come into the kitchen with me," she asked. "I want to talk about the deal we made. Carlisle, Esme, and Edward are already waiting."

"Okay." I followed Tanya into the kitchen wondering what we could possibly have to talk about. The Denalis had fulfilled their end of the bargain and I was more than willing to go back to Alaska with them.

Tanya had us all sit at the kitchen table, but she remained standing, as if about to make a presentation. "I'm sure that you are all aware of the bargain that was made to receive my coven's assistance, but if you are not, I told Edward and Getty, when they came to ask for our assistance, that I would be more than willing to help if Getty would come join my coven and that, if she didn't, we would not help.

"Given that the battle ended so quickly and with so few casualties, I'm willing to reconsider. Getty," she addressed me. "It's up to you where you want to live. If you want to stay with the Cullens, you are more than welcome to. If you still want to come up to Alaska, then you may do that as well. Because this decision is one that will affect the rest of your eternity, it is not one that I suggest you take lightly. I will be leaving in two days. Please have your decision made by then."

I was still having difficulty processing what had just happened, but Edward was more than delighted. All I could hear from him was _She can stay_ repeated over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over, almost like a mantra.

"Edward," I snapped at him. "Would you please do us all a favor and keep your thoughts to yourself? I know I am _able_ to stay, but that doesn't mean I will. My life is just beginning and Scott has gotten a job in Seattle. The fact of the matter may be that I choose to not stay here or go there. I may go with Scott. Tanya has permitted me to make my own decision and I already know where I would most like to go. You have no say in this matter. Go find Bella. She misses you."

"What about me," he asked, since the room had apparently cleared out. "Doesn't my opinion matter? I love you."

"And I love Scott. Remember how things were with you and Bella before I came? I saw you two around school all the time. I was disgusted by how in love you seemed to be, mostly because I didn't have someone here that I could be like that with. You have Bella, Scott is here now. We all have our chance for happiness. Take yours and run with it."

And then he kissed me.

"Edward," I said, shoving him away. "That is _**not**_ what I meant. I meant go find Bella, talk to her, try to make things right. She still loves you and I know that, somewhere, you still love her. I'm not going to stay here, as much as you may want it. When Scott goes to Seattle for his job, I'm going with him. Someday, we may end up in Alaska, and I have every intention of telling him everything and turning him. I want eternal happiness, and I can have it, but not here."

Entering the living room, I saw that, in the time I had spent in the kitchen, seemingly, the entire town of Forks had congregated in the Cullen's house. I mingled with a few people and then went to find Tanya. She was nowhere to be found downstairs, so I knocked on the door of the room the Cullens had given her for the weekend. "Come in," she said.

"Hi. Um… When you said that I would be able to choose where I wanted to live, did that include not being part of a coven and going out either on my own or with my boyfriend," I asked.

"You can do whatever you want to, Getty. Our agreement is nullified. If you want to go with Scott, go with him. Chase your dreams."

"Thank you. I've made my decision. When you leave, I'm going to go with Scott. I want forever with him. Don't be too surprised if we come find you someday. I want to turn him, but I have no idea how well he will be able to suppress the temptation of human blood. When that day comes, may we stay with you?"

"Of course. My friends are always welcome to join my family."

"Thank you. Shall we go to the party?"

Just as we were about to head downstairs, my phone rang. "Oh, hi. Park around back. I'll help you get all the stuff set up. I'll be right there."

"What was that about," Tanya asked.

"The band is here. They wanted to know where to set up. I'll meet you in the living room later."

After helping the band set up, the doorbell rang. "Hi, Scott. You know you didn't have to ring the doorbell, it is a party after all."

"I figured that out when you opened the door. Did you call in a favor?"

"Huh? Oh, the band. Yeah. So are you going to take that job in Seattle?"

"Definitely. Working for Chihuly is a dream come true."

"Well, in that case, are you looking for a roommate?"

"Seriously? You want to move in with me?"

"Don't act so surprised. I've wanted to for a while. I like seeing you every day."

"I like seeing you every day too," he said. Then he kissed me.

We spent the rest of the night talking and planning for the future. I could tell that from here on out, life would be perfect. I had wonderful friends, a wonderful boyfriend, and two wonderful families. I would be sad to leave the Cullens, but glad to be moving on with my life knowing that there would never be any more threats on either of my families.

**A/N: Well, that's it. I hope you have enjoyed the ride as much as I have. If you want a sequel, let me know and give me ideas for a plot. Thanks for staying on the ride during my sporadic updating. I appreciate the reviews and you guys reading. Thanks so much!**


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